5 tips for parents worried about their kids' screen time and online safety

LET ME RUIN YOUR NIGHT FOR ONE SECOND BECAUSE THERE ARE FIVE TIPS IN THIS ARTICLE AND FIVE IS A GENUINELY MAD NUMBER TO FIX THE ENTIRE INTERNET, BUT NPR SAYS PARENTS WORRIED ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA HARMS AND EXCESS SCREEN TIME NEED TO STEP IN WITH ACTUAL MONITORING, AND THE WHOLE THING COMES DOWN TO SETTING FIRM BOUNDARIES AROUND SCREEN TIME PLUS HAVING EARLY AND OPEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONLINE HABITS, WHICH SUPPOSEDLY MAKES THE KIDS WAY LESS VULNERABLE, AND THE THING IS THE TEXT DOES NOT EVEN SPELL OUT WHAT EVERY SINGLE TIP IS SO I DO NOT EVEN KNOW ALL FIVE, WHICH MEANS WE ARE JUST OUT HERE TALKING ABOUT MONITORING AND HABITS. OK I HAVE TO SIT DOWN AFTER THAT ONE.

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ALL DAY BECAUSE NPR DROPPED A REPORT SAYING EARLY AND OPEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONLINE HABITS ACTUALLY MAKE KIDS LESS VULNERABLE AND THAT MADE ME PUT MY DRINK DOWN ENTIRELY, AND THE WHOLE THING IS DIRECTED AT PARENTS WHO ARE FREAKING OUT ABOUT THEIR KIDS' SCREEN TIME AND ONLINE SAFETY, AND THEY ARE BASICALLY SAYING PARENTAL MONITORING IS WHAT CAN PROTECT THEM FROM EXCESS SCREEN TIME AND SOCIAL MEDIA RISKS, SO NOW THE ADVICE IS SETTING ACTUAL SCREEN TIME BOUNDARIES AND TALKING TO THEM VERY EARLY, WHICH IS WILD BECAUSE IT SOUNDS SO OBVIOUS BUT EVERYBODY IS STRUGGLING WITH IT, AND THE REPORT CLAIMS THERE ARE FIVE FULL TIPS BUT WE ONLY KNOW ABOUT THE MONITORING AND THE OPEN TALKS AND THE BOUNDARIES SO I DO NOT EVEN KNOW THE REST. OK SOMEBODY ELSE TALK, MY THROAT HURTS.

NPR reported that parental monitoring, screen time boundaries, and open conversations about online habits can help protect kids from the harms of social media.

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