10 Home Tips For Parents in the Digital Age

I was invited to the Mommies Day Out event organized by PLDT Home at Stacy’s in BGC a few days ago. It was an intimate gathering of mommies from all walks of life. The event was hosted by celebrity hot mommas Denise Laurel and Isabel Oli-Prats. Celebrity moms Issa Litton and Camille Prats also joined us at the event.

Since it’s just a few of us, we were asked to introduce ourselves first. I am not that good in public speaking but since I’m a little bit comfortable with the people around me I did not sweat a lot while doing it haha.

The event was enlightening. I learned a lot from the sharing and we were given valuable advice from renowned psychologist, guidance counselor, lecturer and author Michele S. Alignay. She explained to us the role and relevance of technology in managing the family and home in this digital age.

She called us to be the Digital Managers of the house. We should be on top and the boss of the household. We need to set rules especially in this digital age where kids spend more time in front of their gadgets. She also told us that kids especially 12 years and below should not navigate the digital world on their own.

10 Home Tips For Parents in the Digital Age

She discussed 10 Digital tips to guide us in doing rules at the house.

1. INTERNAL REGULATION – kids need to have a time set in using their gadgets. If you ask them to have a free time for 2 hours, make sure to be strict on implementing it. If they get used to this rule, they’ll follow it even if you’re not around to check.
2. CHECK THE CONTENT – kids should only browse to sites that are developmental appropriate. From time to time, check what they are doing in front of the monitor. She told us to check organizations like Common Sense Media for reviews about age-appropriate apps, games and programs to guide us in making the best choices for our children.
3. TRAIN KIDS TO BE MEDIA LITERATE – kids need to learn how to REFLECT first and answer questions like how does this thing affect me and ACT if they see something inappropriate, are they going to spread it, call the attention of the person etc.  They need to know that once content is shared with others, they will not be able to delete or remove it completely.
4. BALANCE DIGITAL TIME – they can use the internet for research and assignment, but after that the advisable non-educational time spent online should be a maximum of 2 hours only. For small kids, it should be 1 is to, which means 1 hour online then 1 hour activity time like reading books,doing arts and crafts and going out to play with other kids.
5. MANAGE TIME – kids get bored easily. Parents don’t need to ALWAYS provide stimulation because they will depend on us. They need to be creative in managing their time and doing other things besides using their gadgets. The opportunity to think creatively, problem solve and develop reasoning and motor skills is more valuable for the developing brain than passive media intake.
6. CO-ENGAGE – research has shown that face-to-face time with people around them plays a more important role in promoting children’s learning and healthy development. Co-engage and help them when you’re there. It is important to take an active role in our children’s media education by co-viewing programs with them and discussing values.
7. CHOOSE QUALITY CONTENT – There are a lot of educational contents or those that teach good values — such as empathy, honesty and even financial literacy on the internet. Exposing them to this while we explain it to them will help them to imitate it in their life.
8. RAISE RESPONSIBLE DIGITAL CITIZENS – cyber bullying is a no no! let’s talk to them about the effect of online bullying. If they are the victims, we should do something about it immediately. This will lessen depression and self pity. We need to teach them to treat others with respect even if we don’t agree to what they say.
9. EXTERNAL REGULATIONS – Plan media-free times together, like no gadgets during meal time, no gadgets after 10pm or while on the bedroom. We parents should set a good example by following these rules ourselves too.
10. FAMILY SECURITY – digital security should be on top of our priority. Let’s be cautious on what we do and share online. Having a peace of mind is what we should aim.

PLDT HOME TECHNOLOGIES

With these concerns in mind, PLDT HOME embraces parenting in the digital age and trumpets the notion that the strongest connections are at home.

The products that were highlighted in the experience zone during the event were:

• PLDT Home FAMCAM – is available for Home DSL Plan 1299and up subscribers. What I like about this thing is that you don’t need a lot of wire to install it. All you need is an electrical socket and internet. You can now view what’s happening inside your house via your mobile phone.  If you’re a working mom or dad, this is something you need to have in your house so that you won’t miss a moment of your child’s life at home.
  Basic FamCam is P99/month for 36 months (one time payment P3,000) and Advanced FamCam is P499/month for 36 months (one time payment P11,500)
  To learn more, check out pldthome.com/famcam.
• PLDT Home Smart Watch – The Smart Watch from PLDT HOME is the latest, and coolest, gadget for kids, which, can be used for taking photos, playing music and even recording files. Your kids can also get notifications, calls and text messages through the watch when it is paired with the PLDT HOME Telpad or a smart phone. What I like about this gadget is that it also has sleep and health monitoring features, and it also has an anti-lost application. The wearer is alerted if the connected gadget is 10 meters away from the watch. Isn’t it awesome?!!!
  For existing PLDT Telpad subscribers, you can get this Smart Watch for only P199/mo (locked-in period of 36mo).
• PLDT Home FamZone – it is a device that helps you monitor and control your kid’s internet activities. Even when you’re far, you can check here how long they are online. FamZone is the top parental control device.Other features include:
  Time Setting
  Sleep Time
  Website restrictions
  Manage customized profiles

They asked us what kind of gadgets that we are still looking for to help us have peace of mind. Do you know what I said? I told them that I hope next time they will come up with something like a spy pen where we can put to our kids clothes which they can use especially at school. Here we can check if they are being bullied or to record what’s the lesson for the day or just to see what they are doing outside the house. This looks like an invasion of their privacy but I think this was a good idea. What do you think?

In our world today, media and digital devices are an integral part of it. Let’s learn to use it in it’s full potential and in a good way.

To know more about these products, drop by the PLDT Home website.

Get your FAMCAM for P499/month with your PLDT Home DSL or PLDT Home Fibr broadband!
Learn more here: pldthome.com/famcam

Surprise your kid with a cool Smart Watch for only P199/month. Learn more here: pldthome.com/smartwatch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMermf1YF1E

FamZone is coming out soon. FamZone Box will be available at P299/month. FamZone app will be available at P149.