Are your kids already on social media?

When my kids were around 10 years old, they started asking for a smartphone. Specifically, for an iPhone. 

They did what all kids do. They were consistent with asking. 

My older daughter even wrote me a letter stating all of the reasons why she NEEDED to have one. 

She made promises and tried to convince me that she would be the happiest child in the world if she had a phone. 

I said NO. 

My intent was to keep them off social media and overall off the internet as much and as long as possible. But, their schools kept gearing them to use online tools for them to do their homework and projects. 

That frustrated me and it didn’t help me. 

But I persisted and continued to educate myself in case I was being unreasonable. 

As they got older they earned the privilege to use it. But, it was not without a lot of discussions and even a contract. That contract included an agreement about how to use it, what to report, and that they would be monitored. 

But, you know what I’ve learned over the years? That at first, I thought I was doing enough to monitor my kids' activity online. However, I didn't know how to be effective at setting up the monitoring tools, the settings and to be honest, it was overwhelming. 

Even now, a TON of parents experience this. The truth is that even now, kids are bullied online and they never tell their parents until it’s too far gone.

So, if you're experiencing this, I encourage you to ask questions. Do some research if you need to, but if you don't know where to start, I'm here for you. You can schedule a consultation with me here.