MANILA, Philippines – Being a mom in today’s digital world is a big challenge. With the kids usually glued to their computer screens, tablets or smartphones playing Clash Royale, chatting with friends on Viber, posting selfies on Instagram, or updating their status on Facebook, where can family bonding come in?
The Internet and digital devices are already an integral part of the lives of many Filipinos. So, instead of allowing technology to deter you from creating wonderful moments with your kids, take advantage of this opportunity to foster a healthy relationship with the young ones.
Here are some things you can do with your kids to make the most out of online technology:
Connect via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Tweens and teenagers value their online relationships, thus, keeping them away from social media may only result in conflict or rebellion. In moderation, such interactions would be good to adolescent development. Show them your support and love by doing simple things such as liking a post or dropping a message or two on their social media accounts but without being overbearing or embarrassing.
Take time to play and learn. Get in on the fun and play video and other interactive games with them and while doing so, you may give your children a lesson or two on the value of sportsmanship, cooperation, perseverance and patience, among other things.
Watch YouTube videos together. Kids love YouTube for good reason. This video-sharing website practically has all kinds of materials under the sun that would appeal to any type of viewer. But if you leave the children to browse on their own, it’s likely that they might stumble on inappropriate content. Watching YouTube together allows you to ensure that they only access safe videos and gives you a chance to understand and appreciate the things that catch their attention.
However, since you cannot be with your kids all the time as they navigate through the web and socialize online, there should also be a way to educate them on the responsible use of technology, be it through gadgets, website browsing, or interacting via social media platforms. This is to remind them to behave appropriately both online and offline and to be careful of cyberbullying and cybercrimes.
One of the ways your children can receive such guidance is through the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) which Globe Telecom is doing in partnership with Optus of Australia and Singtel of Singapore. By nominating your child’s high school to be a recipient of the DTP workshops, your child and his/her schoolmates would be taught how to make safe and responsible choices in their online activities and be equipped with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves online.
Because Globe is committed to improving the quality of education and digital citizenship for a #WonderfulPH, nominated high schools just need to set aside at least 45 minutes of a class so that Globe Digital Thumbprint ambassadors can conduct the workshops for free. The workshops deal with three topics: Digital Insight to help students discern proper online behavior, Digital Impact which tackles issues on technology's effect on students' social activities, and Digital Ambition to equip students with skills on how to use technology to achieve life goals.
To nominate a school for DTP, simply fill out this form http://glbe.co/DTPNomination. or send an e-mail to bridgecom@globe.com.ph. The Globe Citizenship team will use this information to directly contact the school to arrange a schedule with them for the DTP workshops starting June 2016. For additional questions on DTP, you may email bridgecom@globe.com.ph.
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