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Parents and the Internet
The speed with in which new technologies are developed and with which young people are able to adapt to them creates a knowledge gap between parents and their children.
The difference between the “Digital Native“ generation and those that had to learn to use informational tools as adults is constantly becoming more apparent. There are many adults who use computers for their work, but have never felt the need or curiosity to explore the possibilities of this technology beyond their daily routine -social networks, methods of instant communication, etc. Parents are aware their children live digital lives that they do not understand.
In order to avoid these situations or reduce their effects, more resources are popping up online with the intention of informing parents about these new tools, which are constantly present in the lives of young people, in a way that is easy to understand. The initiative that has had the most media presence is Teach Parents Tech, created by Google, which permits children to send personalized information and also allows parents to look-up information about specific aspects about daily information technology.
Different Spanish language resources exist in an effort to inform parents, but in the attempt to inform them of the risks of social networks, among other things, perhaps it creates a deformed vision of what a “healthy” digital life is. This makes risks such as cyber-bullying online and harassment online inevitable. Besides the fact that these resources can be a bit alarmist, especially for someone who does not have first-hand experience, they also provide interesting content. The organization Pantallas Amigas (Screen Buddies) has a section dedicated to parents where they are able to bring various types of information together in order to teach desirable practices. It is as much for the parent’s benefit as for the children.
Online it is possible to find interesting debates about digital education, such as a better option to the direct control or supervision of online activity, like Educación en Valores, or Control Parental.
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