Children and Smartphones—Part 2: Teach Your Children How to Use Smartphone the Right Way

Smartphone good—but it can be helpful or harmful, depending on how you use it. How you can teach your children to use smartphone the right way? For example, how much time your children must spend using their phone every day?a

• What you need to know

• Wetin you can do

• “Loving parents can set rules for their children”

What you need to know

• Smartphone can expose the user to danger. The article “Children and Smartphones—Part 1: I wonder I Must Buy Smartphone for My Child?” say, using smartphone can open the way to everything that people can see on the Internet whether good or bad.

  “It easy to forget that smartphone can make our children to start making friends with all kind na bad-bad people and even learning bad ideas.”—Brenda.

• Children need somebody to guide them. This time young people know plenty things about technology more than their parents. But it not mean that parents not know anything about technology, and their children must be the one to decide how and when to use their smartphone.

  That true, maybe your children really know how to use smartphone, but it not mean that they know how to use it the right way. Even children who really know how to use smartphone good still need their parents to guide them.

  “When you give your child smartphone without teaching him how to use it, it just like giving him car key to drive without teaching him how to drive.”—Seth.

Wetin you can do

• Learn the different-different programs on your child phone. Try to know what can help your child to use their phone the right way. For example:

  What program on the phone that can help parents to reduce the amount of time their children can spent on their smartphone?

  You know that they not get any program on the phone that can stop people from seeing ugly-ugly things?

  The more you learn the different-different programs on your child smartphone, you will be prepare to help him or her to use it the right way.

  Bible advice: “With knowledge a man increases his power.”—Proverbs 24:5.

• Set boundaries. Decide what you will allow and what you will not allow. For example:

  You will allow your child to bring the phone on the table when yor eating or to use it when yor visiting family or friends?

  When your children going to bed you with allow them to carry their phone with them?

  What program you will allow them to use on their phone?

  How much time you will allow them to spend on their phone?

  You will set special time for your children to use their phone every day?

  Let the children know the rules you set, and be prepare to discipline them if they not follow the rules.

  Bible advice: “Do not hold back discipline from a youth.”—Proverbs 23:13, footnote.

• Check your child phone every time. Know your child password, check the different-different things that on it, like text message, programs, pictures, and websites that they can go on.

  “We tell our daughter that we will be checking her phone from time to time. If we notice that she not using her phone the right way, we will reduce the amount of time she can spend on it.”—Lorraine.

  Parents, you get the right to know how your child using their phone.

  Bible advice: “A child is known by his actions, whether his behavior is pure and right.”—Proverbs 20:11.

• Teach your child to know right from wrong. Help your child to get the desire to do the right thing. Why it important? Because parent will not always be behind their child to see what they doing.b

  So, train your child to get good-good ways like, to get self-control, to be fair, and to be responsible for what they do. Any child who know their right from their wrong will know how to use their phone the right way.

  Bible advice: “Mature people . . . have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish both right and wrong.”—Hebrews 5:14.