Twenty years ago every teen would dread hearing the words ‘You’re grounded’ uttered from their parents’ mouths, as this probably meant that you would spend a long boring weekend inside, confined to your house. This form of discipline is much harder to maintain in an age where mobile phones, tablets and gaming consoles are the new way of socializing. Over the past decade social media has evolved and although the specific technologies change, they collectively provide teenagers with a space to hang out with their peers, making disciplinary measures such as grounding much harder.  

The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that 62% of parents resort to ‘digital grounding’ as a disciplinary measure in the 21st Century. This term may be new to some readers but it simply refers to the act of disconnecting children from their digital world, be it their use of gaming consoles, such as the Xbox, or banning a teenagers use of social networks, such as Facebook.  

Set boundaries: It is important to set some boundaries about what is allowed and what isn’t allowed.  

Talk to your teenager: Talk to your teenager about what is expected out of them.  

Parental controls: Become familiar with the in-built parental controls that are available on your child’s devices. 

Partial grounding can be achieved. Vodafone’s free Guardian app allows parents to selectively disable parts of their child’s Android mobile or tablet device. The app helps parents to manage their child’s smartphone by providing protection from inappropriate calls, messages and online content. Parents can specify times their children can make or receive calls, use specific applications, access the Web and use the camera. The application also allows parents to restrict outgoing calls to named contacts, such as parents or specific friends. Parents can also be in control of blocking specific contacts or mobile phone numbers. 

Vodafone has made Digital Parenting easier by putting together all their resources in an easily accessible website and Facebook page. Visit www.ibrowsesafely.com.mt for practical information and advice about how to take informed decisions and protect the delicate balance of online safety and mobile freedom. 

The ibrowsesafely campaign is brought to you by Vodafone Malta in support of BeSmartOnline