The Windward School considers the safety and well-being of its students to be its highest priority. Our faculty and administration are dedicated to working with Windward students and their families to ensure that our students are safe and knowledgeable in their use of digital technologies. Whenever deemed necessary, we will be reaching out to you with resources and suggestions regarding how to talk to your children about what they might be seeing on social media, in video games, on movie streaming services, or on the national news.
The following are suggestions parents/guardians can use in managing children's use of technology:
- Talk with your student: We encourage you to always be mindful of your student’s exposure to media and to engage in meaningful, honest, and age-appropriate conversations with them. Keep open lines of communication with your student about their experiences using digital technology while paying particular attention to
- potential anxiety around missing out when not online;
- pressures to connect digitally with friends;
- complicated interactions and conflicts.
- Take advantage of parental controls: As recommended by many experts, you should have access to and regularly monitor your student's activity on digital devices. Many online products have parental settings available. Children should not have passwords or usernames that are unknown to their parents or guardians.
- Set limits: Many experts suggest that having a contract with children about their digital use can be an important part of making youngsters safe in the digital world. Establish rules about how long and when technology can be used. At night, after a designated time, store electronic devices in a supervised area outside of the bedroom.
- Perform responsible research: Using trusted news sources, your research may quickly debunk the latest item causing concern.
The following sites provide useful resources for managing children's use of technology: https://www.connectsafely.org
https://www.commonsensemedia.org
https://childmind.org
