Schools across North Carolina and the country continue to provide students with an increasing number of digital technologies in the classroom as teaching and learning tools. While these learning tools and digital resources are necessary to prepare our students for future success, we want to make sure parents have the resources that they need to insure the safety of our children while using technology, both at school and at at home.

As part of our digital learning resources for students, Macon County Schools provides Internet Safety Training for all students, kindergarten through high school. Macon County Schools also provides filtering on all school device of both inappropriate content and social media access. However, many of our students have personal smartphones and other technology that is not filtered or monitored, as well as access to many social media platforms while using their personal devices.

Below are a number of resources to help guide parents through the process of developing positive behavior and responsible use of technology and social media.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is a professional organization of 66,000 pediatricians. It provides professional support to its members and advocates for children’s health at the state and federal levels.

  • Policy Statements and Recommendations for Technology Use Among Children – information about the recommendations, links to the policy statements, and videos explaining the issues.
    https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/american-academy-of-pediatrics-announces-new- recommendations-for-childrens-media-use.aspx

  • Family Media Plan – an online tool created by the AAP to help families manage their media use. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx

• The American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychologists in the United States.

  • Digital Guidelines for Parents – brief list to consider when identifying developmentally appropriate amounts of screentime for children. In addition, they offer a short set of pointers as families consider guidelines for using technology. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/digital-guidelines.aspx

• The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional organization of early childhood educators that provides professional resources and assistance to its members and advocates high-quality, early learning opportunities for all children.

  • The National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media published a position statement on children’s use of technology in January of 2012. The statement includes six recommendations for early childhood educators.
    https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/les/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/topics/PS_technology_WEB.pdf

• Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization with the mission of “helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology.” The organization’s web site offers multiple resources for adults wanting information on appropriate media and technology use for children. Information is organized by audience (parents, educators, and advocates) and by topic (e.g., product reviews, concerns, research, digital citizenship, advice).

  • Screen Time – resources for parents looking for help in managing children’s technology use. Information includes research ndings, recommendations, strategies to limit technology use, and activities to replace technology. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/screen-time

  • Healthy Media Habits – provides practical suggestions for handling media/technology among children. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/pediatricians
    

• Families Managing Media was created in order to help parents take control of their children’s screen time. The organization offers training and resources for families looking to reduce their children’s technology use. http://www.familiesmanagingmedia.com/gamereplacementactivities/
  

• The Center for Humane Technology was founded by former employees at Facebook and Google who became concerned that our use of technology was having a negative impact on our society. They advocate for changes in device design, government oversight, and awareness of the issue.
  http://humanetech.com/take-control/