20 September 5 • 2019
jn
A
ccording to Pew Center
Research this year, about six in
10 mothers of teens say they at
least sometimes check their teen’
s web
history or cellphone records, set screen
time limits or take away digital privileg-
es as punishment, compared with about
half of fathers who say they take these
actions. A somewhat smaller share of
parents say they at least sometimes use
parental controls to restrict which sites
their teens can access.
Lauren Herrin, a Bloomfield
Township mother of two, said there are
pros and cons to all the technology that
is available today.
“My children have tablets, and they
use my phone to access kid-friendly
apps and STEM-related games for
entertainment, which all have parental
controls set,
” she said. “Unfortunately,
even with restrictions, we’
d find them,
unknowingly, clicking on inappropriate
content, so we’
ve just removed certain
apps from their devices altogether. I
have plenty of friends who have older
kids that do, and I am taking notes.
I’
m learning a lot about what to do and
what not to do.
”
She’
s not alone in tackling tech issues
regularly.
To provide parents the tools they
need to manage family tech and online
content, the Family Online Safety
Institute’
s CEO and founder Stephen
Balkam has been on a 10-city tour
listening to parents about their technol-
ogy concerns. In August, a local parent
meetup was held in Grosse Pointe, sup-
ported by Verizon, an original founder
of the institute, and Macaroni Kid, an
online parenting site.
According to the Family Online
Safety Institute (FOSI), here are some
steps to good digital parenting:
• Talk with your kids: Keep an
open line of communication with your
kids. Talk early and often — especially
during back-to-school season when
tech becomes part of weekly home-
work. Be open and direct.
• Educate yourself: When in doubt,
ask your wireless carrier for additional
information about parental control
plans. Check out the FOSI website for
additional resources to guide your con-
versation at home.
• Use parental controls: Obviously,
there is content on the Internet you
don’
t want your kids to reach. There are
free and inexpensive parental controls
to help you manage your kids’
online
experience, such as Verizon’
s Just Kids/
Smart Family, for example.
• Set ground rules: Many parents
don’
t know where to start in creating
rules of the road for their kids’
digital
use. You can download the FOSI family
agreement. Once you’
ve set the rules,
enforce them. Let your kids know when
they will lose online privileges.
• Friend and follow, but don’
t stalk:
When your teen opens a Facebook
account at 13, ensure you’
re their
first friend. Follow your kids on their
favorite platforms. Talking instead of
stalking is what builds trust. Give your
teen some space to experiment.
• Explore, share and celebrate: Don’
t
forget to go online with your kids to
play games, watch videos, share photos
and just hang out. Learn from them
and have fun. See the world through
their eyes. Inform them of your values
and beliefs as you help them navigate.
• Be a good digital role model: Put
the phone down when family time
is important — such as dinner time.
Limit your own screen time so you’
re
available to your children. Remember,
they learn what they see.
Barrett Harr, a Farmington Hills
mother of daughters who are 14 and
11, said her children have always had
access to tech. Her husband is in the
technology industry and she is a former
educator, so they have multiple devices
for work and personal use. The girls
also have their own tablets and smart-
phones.
“Since my daughters were young,
we have been proactive about setting
boundaries, such as limiting their
screen usage and restricting their access
to content. We filter what sites they can
visit and apps they can download,
” she
said. “For us, it’
s about moderation. It’
s
easier than most people think. We use
parental control apps and talk to our
children often about being responsible
online. We’
ve also identified and imple-
mented solutions that make sense for
our family, such as not allowing them
to have devices in their bedrooms and
having them sign a ‘
cell phone contract.
’
“It’
s our job as parents to help our
children learn how to use tech in a
healthy and responsible way. It’
s also
well in our purview to take away their
devices if they are not using them well
or break the rules we’
ve set.
”
Remember to do your homework
— just like your kids. Keep your family
tech a pleasant experience with parental
monitoring and controls. ■
For more resources, visit fosi.org or verizonwire-
less.com/solutions-and-services/just-kids. Emily
Mulder is program director at the Family Online
Safety Institute.
Parenting
in the
Digital Age
EMILY MULDER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
jews d
in
the
When it comes to policing
tech, moms are on
the front line.
COURTESY OF VERIZON
Detroit Educators Attend
Israel Education Seminar
Nearly 70 educators from Jewish
schools and other organizations gath-
ered in Atlanta in June for an intensive
week of studying how and what to
teach a variety of learners about Israel.
The Center for Israel Education
and Emory’
s Institute for the Study
of Modern Israel held the 18th annu-
al CIE/ISMI Educator Enrichment
Workshop on Modern Israel June 23
-27 with attendees from across North
America. More than half work at
Jewish day schools, several of which
sent educators to absorb and synthe-
size as much of the content as possible.
The 67 participants included five
educators from the Detroit area, rep-
resenting the Frankel Jewish Academy,
Hillel Day School, Adat Shalom
Synagogue and Yachad Religious
School. Frankel and Hillel are part
of CIE’
s three-year initiative to help
select day schools enhance the depth
and breadth of their Israel education.
The Holocaust Memorial Center has
set the date for its 35th Anniversary
Dinner for 5 p.m. Nov. 17 at the
Suburban Collection Showplace in
Novi with food provided by Quality
Kosher Catering.
That evening, HMC will be hon-
oring Nina and Bernie Kent for their
significant work to ensure that the
lessons of the Holocaust empower
people today. Keynote speaker will be
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, orphan of the
Holocaust, celebrity therapist and star
of the documentary Ask Dr. Ruth.
The dinner is chaired by Elaine
and Michael Serling; advisers are
Susan and Nelson Hersh.
Tickets and sponsorship opportuni-
ties are at holocaustcenter.org/dinner.
The ad deadline to be included in the
commemorative journal is Oct. 23.
Ruth Westheimer
Holocaust Center Sets
35th Anniversary Dinner
Honorees and Speaker
LES GORBACK
COURTESY AMAZON PUBLISHING
Nina & Bernie Kent