The widespread use of digital resources and the mandatory use of digital resources at home by almost every family have brought new roles and responsibilities for parents.
In this time and age, parents have a lot of work to do to keep some level of sanity with their children amidst the growth of gadgets, online platforms, and many other things. This has given rise to digital parenting.
Thus, this necessitates an exploration of its definition, any problems encountered in doing so and identifying ways of coping with parenting in the digital age.
"Digital parenting" is explained as parental efforts and practices aiming at understanding, supporting and regulating children's activities in digital environments. It mostly refers to the utilisation of technology in child rearing and how modern technology is affecting family relations and the growth of children. With continuous digital innovation, parents and their children have many usable apps and tools at their disposal. Still, a common fear for parents among these advancements is that new digital technologies can be harmful to their children, as sometimes they have been.
Basically, digital upbringing consists of training, guiding and supervising our children in the use of digital devices, the internet and technology. It involves, among other things, safe navigation through online spaces while addressing probable dangers associated with the use of digitised technology.
Yet, despite an explosion in digital tools and technologies, there has, regrettably, been very little guidance or support available to parents for negotiating through a constantly changing digital landscape.
First of all, effective digital parenting necessitates keeping up with all new trends in the digital space, like gadgets, apps, and platforms. This can prove to be quite a tall order. But through attending workshops, visiting e-learning facilities or discussing with friends, parents can move safely through the most recent technologies that they aren't sure about yet.
Digital parents should also understand what style of parenting works best for their families so that their children not only participate in the digital age but actually thrive while being protected from any risks posed by this new environment.
Parents' confidence and judgement in carrying out specific parenting responsibilities includes managing their child's digital activities. Their own behaviours and beliefs related to media and technology play a critical role in shaping the media habits of their children. When parents exhibit positive attitudes towards technology and provide a supportive environment for their children to explore and learn with digital media, children are more likely to develop healthy and confident habits around technology.
It is thus that for parents to turn digital, they must possess basic technology literacy, be aware of online risks and threats and know how to protect their child against these risks, incorporate digital technologies into parenting practices, regulate their child's interaction with digital media and follow the developments in technology.
Whether you have a two-year-old or a 12-year-old, your child is watching you probably more than they are listening to you. If parents want to build a healthy relationship with media and technology, then they need to show their children how to do it.
Explanation is a key element in digital education. The family must be clear about the rules and expectations around media and technology use. Conflict can arise when there is a lack of clarity around the guidelines. Some basic ones might be "technology-free dinners" or "homework before Roblox." There may be more significant ones, too, like "you need to wait for social media until high school." The important thing is that everyone knows what the rules are and what happens if they are broken.
Engaging with one's offspring is crucial, too. We spend a lot of time talking to our children about what not to do when it comes to media and technology. It's important to find moments where one can engage with them around their interests and likes. Just like you head outside to kick the ball around with a child that likes football, parents need to be willing to engage in their online interests, too. Ask them questions about why they like the apps, games and platforms they use. Ask them to teach you how to play a Roblox game they love and play with them. Share funny videos you see online with them and watch some together! It's important to find moments when you can enjoy the positive aspects of technology.
Empathy should not be lacking. When my generation was growing up, odds are we had more privacy than youth do today. It's vital that parents empathise with their children about the challenges of growing up in public, where there is not only very little privacy but also an expectation to share about themselves.
Our children know the digital world is complicated and have concerns and worries about navigating it, just like we have for them. We must therefore listen to them, be there for them and support them through the ups and downs.
Raising children in the coming years presents parents with entirely new dilemmas, from developing online safety protocols to preventing digital addiction to finding quality content for their children to consume.
Perhaps the most obvious challenge to parenting in the digital age is the ubiquity of digital technology.
Many of the questions that have arisen in the digital era deal with topics families previously never even had to consider. Raising children in today's information-dense environment requires parents to focus not only on their children's development but also on their online safety.
Dr Mark Said is a lawyer