The modern-age parents are the first generation to grapple with challenges that no previous parents had to face. From the expanse of social media to the ever-growing reach of the internet and more, digital parenting is a mysterious puzzle. And parents are learning on the go as there is no roadmap for raising kids in the digital age.
Since the road to the discovery of coping strategies begins by understanding the impacts of the digital age on parenthood, let us explore the perils of digital parenting.
The Perils of Digital Parenting
The progress of technology is like a double-edged sword. While it offers endless opportunities for growth and betterment, it is also deadly. The parents are caught amid this conundrum as they struggle to find ways to protect their kids’ lives (digital and otherwise).
According to a study by Pew Research Center, several reasons make digital parenting a lot more challenging than traditional one. The study revealed that 26% of the parents accentuate the impact of digital technology, 21% point toward the expanse of social media, and 14% blame the ease of access to technology because it exposes kids to (inappropriate) content. Moreover, the constant shift in the moral values of our society and the costs of raising kids also make parenting quite challenging.
Let’s look at how social media and technology play a key role in shaping digital parenting.
The Impact of Social Media and Technology on Digital Parenting
Screens are everywhere! We see them on the roads. We carry them in our pockets. We use them at home, in schools, at workplaces, etc. The bottom line is that we rely on technology and social media for everything, from entertainment to communication and more.
Gone are the days when people walked to post offices to send mail. Remember how you could only watch your favorite shows on TV a few decades ago? While we relish that technological advancement has improved every aspect of our lives, it has a dark side that we cannot simply ignore.
Too often, we hear disturbing stories in the media about cyberbullying, racial bias, the negative impact of screens on kids’ mental health, online grooming, unhealthy body standards, and so on. All these issues make digital parenting more cumbersome. It isn’t surprising that parents use parental control apps like FamilyTime as a coping mechanism to make their lives a bit easier.
Parental Control Apps – An Effective Coping Mechanism?
Using technology is like a roller coaster ride. You have a lot of fun, but you also feel terrified. While we reap benefits from its consistent progress, it is impossible to neglect the threats technology poses to the well-being of our kids. With that in mind, parental control apps provide a refuge for parents who don’t know how to cope with the ever-changing trends of technological advancement.
Parental control apps (like FamilyTime) offer a means to monitor kids’ activities and provide ways to bring balance to their daily routines. Parents can use these apps to limit their kids’ screen time and social media usage. Here is how the FamilyTime app can help ease digital parenting.
FamilyTime provides a long list of impressive features, such as screen time limit, internet filter, screen-time schedule, SOS/Panic Button, location tracking, app blocker, internet schedule, call & text message monitoring, etc. These services allow parents to keep an eye on their kids’ activities without becoming helicopter parents.
To explore what more it can do for you, look into the entirety of its features. While parenting is a thankless job, it doesn’t have to be so difficult.