How to Create a Media & Technology Philosophy for Your Family

Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with all of the changes in the online space. First, parents were trying to keep their kids safe from Facebook, then Facebook was no longer the cool platform.

Then parents tried to police Instagram and kids started creating Finstagram (or finsta) accounts to share their really private photos with their closest friends and hide online from their parents.

Then, an explosion of sites came on the scene, from SnapChat to TikTok to Houseparty leaving parental police at their wits about what to say yes and what to say no to.

So, we have a suggestion: Don’t create more rules. Find a way to be intentional and understand your family’s “why”.

You can do this by creating a Media & Technology Philosophy for your family…actually with your family. This is something you can create together, and most importantly, especially for teenaged kids, you can collectively develop reasons for why you’re creating the policies you’re develop.

Naturally, your family’s philosophy will evolve:

• As your child gets older
• As you understand platforms better and
• As you understand yourself and your children better

and that’s perfectly fine and to be expected. In fact, this is what we want you to do – continuously discuss and update the plan you create with your spouse and with your children.

To give you an idea of what a Media and Technology Philosophy looks like, I’ve included an excerpt from my family’s philosophy below. You can learn more about how we deal with technology in our article, “How Our Family Deals with Technology.”

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We believe technology is a powerful tool that can be used for good or for evil. Specifically, the internet is like a city, with all the good and bad of a city. Just as we wouldn’t let our kids navigate the city on their own, we shouldn’t let our kids navigate the internet on their own either.

If used respectfully and responsibly, technology can enhance our lives and the lives of our child(ren).

In our family, child-access to technology is a privilege, not a right. Access to the internet, devices and music can be revoked if the parents believe it’s in the best interest of the growth, development and discipline of the child(ren).

We operate under the system of ask and verify. We often ask our son what he’s doing online and several minutes later return to verify the information. If we find discrepancies between what we’ve been told and what we’ve seen, we express that our trust has been broken and we remove the technology in question.…

(Wanna read the rest? Visit our article, “How Our Family Deals with Technology“)

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So, are you ready to take a shot at developing a Media and Technology Philosophy for your family? You can download our free guide to get started with the questions you’ll need to ask yourself and your family.

Remember, you don’t need to get it perfect on the first go-round. I imagine you’ll continuously update this document until your kids leave the house. We can’t wait to see what you create for your family!