Skip to main content
  • English
  • Français

Footer Social Media Icons

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • TikTok
Home
  • Home
  • Digital Media Literacy
    • General Information
    • Media Issues
    • Digital Issues
    • Educational Games
    • Media Literacy Week
    • Workshops
  • Research and Evaluation
    • Our Approach
    • What We Do
    • Research Reports
    • Young Canadians in a Wireless World
  • For Parents
  • Teacher Resources
    • Find Lessons & Resources
    • Digital Media Literacy Outcomes by Province & Territory
    • Digital Media Literacy Framework
    • Media Literacy 101
    • Digital Literacy 101
  • Blog
  • Get Involved
    • Become a donor
    • Become a volunteer
    • Become a Corporate Partner
    • Media Literacy Week
    • Teen Fact-Checking Network

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  • The Family Chat

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 13 July 2021

    Lynn JataniaOur youngest is about to turn 14, and that means it’s time for the last member of our family to get her own cell phone.

    We decided back when our oldest was heading off to high school that age 14, Grade 9, is cell phone time for our family. We’ve been happy with that decision – it seemed like the right time in terms of maturity, and also it became clear that having a phone to use in class at high school was beneficial and even expected.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Excessive Internet Use
    Internet & Mobile
    Parents
    Social Networking
  • The COVID-19 Letdown

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 11 May 2021

    Lynn JataniaI feel like I should knock wood when I say this, but it feels like maybe, someday, this lockdown might be over.

    We’re still in rocky days as I write this, with active cases not dropping off as much as we all would like, and shops and attractions not as open as we would hope. But the vaccine is getting out there, albeit slowly, and some of the people we know have even received it already. Progress is being made, and we can start to dream of a time when life opens up again and we feel safer and more able to do the things we love to do.

    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Parents
  • Cyber Choices

    Submitted by Matthew Johnson on 12 April 2021

    Matthew JohnsonMeet Sasha. At age 8, she's a real social butterfly, both online and off, and is very concerned with how the world sees her: she spends a lot of time making sure she looks good in photos online but doesn't always think twice about who might see them. Violet is Sasha's older sister and her polar opposite: she's a hardcore gamer, and just as tough as her Level 65 Barbarian. Though she despairs of her sister sometimes, she's also fiercely protective of her and will unleash her considerable wrath on anyone she thinks is picking on Sasha.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Cyberbullying
    Digital Citizenship
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Internet & Mobile
    Online Ethics
    Privacy
    Resources
    Social Networking
    Video Games
  • The Trickle: What to do when your teen is constantly checking their phone

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 10 July 2020

    Lynn JataniaOur older teens, aged 17 and 15, have smartphones. They aren’t big users of social media, but they do get messages from friends fairly often on Instagram, Hangouts and Discord.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Internet & Mobile
    Parents
  • Post-quarantine rules reset

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 25 June 2020

    Lynn JataniaThere are still a lot of unknowns about COVID-19, but for now at least, our province has started to open up a bit. Parks and beaches are open, most stores and malls are opening, and we’re even able to get haircuts again.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Internet & Mobile
    Parents
  • Social media and screen time during a pandemic

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 17 March 2020

    Photo of Lynn JataniaWe’re living in a strange and uncertain time. Already, as parents, we’re feeling our way to the right set of rules and guidelines for screens and social media. But now that we’re facing an extended time of quarantine and social distancing, the rules are bending and changing every day.

    Authenticating Information
    Digital Citizenship
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Journalism & News
    Parents
    Social Networking
  • Back to school – cell phone free

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 14 October 2019

    My two oldest kids started grades 10 and 11 in September. As usual, they took their smartphones with them the first day.

    When they arrived home, I asked them how their classes had went, and they said that every single class had talked about the Ontario government’s new policy about cell phones in school – that is, that cell phones are to be used only for educational purposes, or health or special needs, during class time.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
  • Summertime and the screens are easy

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 1 August 2019

    I am lucky enough to work from home and have a flexible work schedule, so my kids have always been stay-at-home kids in the summer. They have some daily chores and other special work to do over the summer, but in general they have a lot of free time on their hands.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Parents
  • Sick Days

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 10 January 2019

    I work from home, and I think that means my kids get more sick days than the average student. It’s pretty easy for them to convince me that they need a day of rest if they have a bit of a cough or a slight fever. I admit I’m probably too easily swayed and I do tend to cave in when they look up at me with big sad eyes from where they have swooned onto the couch.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Parents
    Social Networking
    Television
  • The Spotify Problem

    Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 20 April 2018

    We have a few smartphone rules in our house: no phones after 9:30 p.m., no phones at the dinner table or other family events, and no phones in bedrooms.

    Cell Phones and Texting
    Digital Health
    Excessive Internet Use
    Instant Messaging
    Music
    Parents
    Social Networking

Pagination

  • Page 1
  • Next page ››

Categories

  • 2SLGBTQ+ Representation
  • Alcohol Marketing
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Authenticating Information
  • Blogging
  • Body Image
  • Cell Phones and Texting
  • Comics
  • Crime Portrayal
  • Cyber Security
  • Cyberbullying
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Digital Health
  • Diversity in Media
  • Environment
  • Events
  • Excessive Internet Use
  • File Sharing
  • Food Marketing
  • Gender Representation
  • Global Development Portrayal
  • Human Rights
  • Indigenous People
  • Instant Messaging
  • Intellectual Property
  • Internet & Mobile
  • Journalism & News
  • Marketing & Consumerism
  • Media Literacy 101
  • Media Production
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Online Ethics
  • Online Gambling
  • Online Hate
  • Online Marketing
  • Parents
  • Persons with Disabilities
  • Pornography
  • Privacy
  • Privilege in the Media
  • Professional Development
  • Religion
  • Resources
  • Sexting
  • Sexual Exploitation
  • Social Networking
  • Sports
  • Stereotyping
  • Television
  • Tobacco Marketing
  • Video Games
  • Video Sharing
  • Violence
  • Visible Minorities
  • Young Canadians In A Wired World
+More
+Less

Archive du blogue

  • May 2025 (1)
  • April 2025 (1)
  • February 2025 (1)
  • January 2025 (1)
  • December 2024 (2)
  • October 2024 (2)
  • September 2024 (1)
  • August 2024 (1)
  • July 2024 (1)
  • June 2024 (2)
  • May 2024 (1)
  • April 2024 (1)
  • March 2024 (2)
  • February 2024 (1)
  • January 2024 (1)
  • November 2023 (1)
  • October 2023 (3)
  • August 2023 (2)
  • June 2023 (1)
  • May 2023 (2)
  • April 2023 (2)
  • March 2023 (1)
  • February 2023 (1)
  • December 2022 (1)
  • November 2022 (1)
  • October 2022 (2)
  • September 2022 (1)
  • July 2022 (1)
  • June 2022 (2)
  • May 2022 (2)
  • April 2022 (4)
  • March 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • November 2021 (3)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • July 2021 (1)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (1)
  • April 2021 (1)
  • March 2021 (2)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • November 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (4)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (2)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • November 2018 (1)
  • October 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (3)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (3)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (2)
  • June 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (4)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (3)
  • September 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • June 2015 (1)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (1)
  • March 2015 (1)
  • February 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (3)
  • December 2014 (1)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (3)
  • September 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (2)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • February 2014 (6)
  • January 2014 (3)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (3)
  • October 2013 (5)
  • September 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • June 2013 (3)
  • May 2013 (2)
  • April 2013 (6)
  • March 2013 (2)
  • February 2013 (5)
  • January 2013 (2)
  • December 2012 (1)
  • November 2012 (2)
  • October 2012 (1)
  • September 2012 (1)
  • August 2012 (2)
  • July 2012 (1)
  • June 2012 (1)
  • May 2012 (1)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • February 2012 (1)
  • January 2012 (1)
  • November 2011 (1)
  • October 2011 (1)
  • September 2011 (2)
  • July 2011 (1)
  • June 2011 (1)
  • May 2011 (1)
  • April 2011 (1)
  • March 2011 (1)
  • February 2011 (1)
  • January 2011 (1)
  • December 2010 (1)
  • October 2010 (2)
  • September 2010 (1)
  • August 2010 (1)
  • July 2010 (2)
  • June 2010 (2)
  • April 2010 (2)
  • March 2010 (3)
  • February 2010 (3)
  • January 2010 (1)
  • December 2009 (3)
  • November 2009 (3)
  • October 2009 (3)
  • September 2009 (1)
  • July 2009 (2)
  • June 2009 (3)
  • May 2009 (1)
  • April 2009 (2)
  • March 2009 (2)
  • February 2009 (4)
  • January 2009 (2)
  • December 2008 (1)
  • November 2008 (2)
  • October 2008 (3)
  • September 2008 (4)
  • August 2008 (3)
  • July 2008 (5)
  • June 2008 (1)
  • May 2008 (2)
  • April 2008 (3)
  • March 2008 (4)
  • February 2008 (3)
  • January 2008 (8)
+More
+Less

MediaSmarts Blogger - Rebecca Stanisic

Rebecca Stanisic,
MediaSmarts Blogger

See all of Rebecca's posts.

MediaSmarts Blogger - Matthew Johnson

Matthew Johnson

Matthew Johnson,
Director of Education

See all of Matthew's posts.

MediaSmarts Blogger - Lynn Jatania

Lynn Jatania

Lynn Jatania,
MediaSmarts Parent

See all of Lynn's posts.

Sign up & Follow Us

Stay informed with daily news and updates!

Learn More

Stay connected with us on social media!

How to Support Us

Interested in supporting MediaSmarts? Find out how you can get involved. Charitable Registration No. 89018 1092 RR0001

Learn More

Find Teacher Resources

Corporate Partners

  • APTN
  • Amazon
  • Bell
  • Google
  • Meta
  • NFB
  • TELUS Wise
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

MediaSmarts

MediaSmarts is a non-partisan registered charity that receives funding from government and corporate partners to support the development of original research and educational content. Our funders and corporate partners do not influence our work, and any resources that offer guidance on specific digital tools and platforms do not constitute an endorsement.

Footer - This Site

  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer - About Us

  • Press Centre
  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • English
  • Français