MediaSmarts Blog

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For kids, social media isn’t always social

Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 04 Nov 2019.

Here’s a weird thing: my kids don’t use social media to be, you know, social.

The other day, I was scrolling through my own Instagram feed, while my youngest daughter was looking over my shoulder. She was asking why I follow every account I follow. I explained time and again that each account was a friend of mine – some closer than others, but, for the most part, people I’ve met at some point in life and who I wanted to keep in touch with.

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Digital Health, Parents, Social Networking

Back to school – cell phone free

Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 14 Oct 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.

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Cell Phones and Texting, Digital Health, Excessive Internet Use

What do you meme it’s not legal?

Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 03 Sep 2019.

My daughter – age 14 – is all about Instagram. It’s her primary source of entertainment: if she’s on her phone, she’s likely looking at memes or laughing at silly posts made by her friends. It’s also the main way she communicates with them, as they use its messaging service much more than things like texting or video chat.

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Digital Citizenship, Intellectual Property, Internet & Mobile, Online Ethics, Parents

Summertime and the screens are easy

Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 01 Aug 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.

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Cell Phones and Texting, Digital Health, Excessive Internet Use, Parents

Drawing the Privacy Line

Submitted by Lynn Jatania on 14 Jun 2019.

I read an interesting Facebook post the other day, written by a teenaged girl. She said quite firmly that it was important for parents to not have their children’s passwords, for their phone or social media accounts. She talked about building trust and how insisting on knowing your kids’ passwords is the first step to them sneaking around online and getting involved in things you wish they wouldn’t.

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Cell Phones and Texting, Parents, Privacy

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