5 Things to teach children about smartphone etiquette

[AD] Children today are more comfortable with digital gadgets than ever. In a 2017 survey of over 4,000 parents, 45% reported their children – aged 10 to 12 – had a smartphone with an active service plan. And, this number must have soared in the era of COVID-19 pandemic when classes were conducted online. Although , access to technology is certainly not all negative; there must be a limit to it. 

Yes, parents these days want their kid to perform tremendously on the academic front, therefore, they give them the tech gadgets they need. However, your kid might be misusing these devices behind your back — perhaps unknowingly. 

So, if you’ve recently bought your school goer a smartphone, make sure to teach them smartphone etiquette. Read on to know how you can do it.

_{[Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash]}

Teaching smartphone etiquette

Be attentive while scrolling

Be it an adult or child; it is easy to get into the rut of scrolling back and forth. Often, we are so consumed and focused on using social media that we ignore a person trying to have a meaningful conversation with us. Now, this can be hurtful.

As parents, you must encourage your children to develop attentive listening skills at all times. No matter how involved they’re in the moment, they should respond immediately if someone calls them out. 

 Smart and rational usage

Children must be taught the importance of smart and rational use of smartphones. This includes teaching them the basics of using a cell phone, be it an iPhone or android. For instance, they should know how vital it is to consistently clear cookies on their smartphone to ensure efficient functioning. You can visit https://setapp.com/how-to/clear-cookies-on-iphone-ipad to get more info on that. 

Teaching them these basic etiquettes will allow them to keep their smartphones well-maintained. Besides, you can invest in devices with built-in parental control settings for content and privacy regulations. After all, your kid might not know everything about privacy concerns.

Take frequent breaks

Children should be clear that smart devices are just a resource to help them live their lives more efficiently. Hence, they should treat it like a resource and take a healthy amount of time away from using them. 

It is vital to disconnect from the virtual world to connect with the real world and the people around. Spending too much time on gadgets can affect their lifestyle on so many levels, including emotional and physical health. Hence, teach them to take long breaks from their smart devices and spend more time in the real world. 

Encourage mindful texting

Virtual communication has evolved throughout the years. People now use abbreviated texts in place of long, written texts that have more meaning and feelings attached to them. While abbreviated texts might be the right option in some cases, it’s not always appropriate. 

Children should know using a thumbs-up emoji to say ‘thank you’ seems rude. Teach them to develop polite and mindful texting.

Be mindful when it comes to accidents

We all know that smartphones aren't cheap. According to USwitch the average cost of a smartphone nowadays is £355. It's a lot of money (and trust) in the hands of your child. Because of this it's wise to teach children to be careful when handling iphones, smartphones or any kid of digital devices.

Of course accidents do happen and as much as we as parents warn our children, sometimes mishaps happen. Fortunately when it comes to those mishaps, Tech-Shed digital device and iphone repair takes the worry away. Be assured that with their wide range of restorative services from replacing batteries, screens, charge docks and more, you'll have peace of mind just incase your little one has big accidents.

To conclude

To Wrap It Up... In today’s fast-paced world, using smart devices has become an equal source of need and entertainment for parents and children. Since your kids look up to you on many levels, set an example for them. You can’t scold your kid for leaving the phone when you have been scrolling for the past hour. Make sense? Thus, before you teach them about smartphone etiquette, first be an inspiration for them.