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

