This post is sponsored by our friends at Google as apart of the Google Family Partner Program. All opinions expressed here are my own!

Five Digital Tech Mantras We’re Adopting in 2020

Can you guys believe we’re in the last month of this decade?! There are only a few weeks left until 2020! This past summer I made a big announcement that I was chosen to be a Google Family Partner. I hope that from that point up until now, that I’ve helped your family navigate the tech & online space in a much safer way! On this journey as a Google Family Partner, with the help of the Family Link app from Google & Be Internet Awesome, I’ve learned a lot about my family’s tech use as well! The end of the decade has me reflecting on how we’ve arrived at this moment with how we utilize our time online. I purchased my first smartphone in 2009. Prior to that, I had the basic talk & text cell phone. At that point, my oldest child was just 4 years old. That means that basically we’ve all grown together figuring this device and online thing out with trial and error. As a family, we are coming up with rules, guidelines, and how to best use our time online simultaneously. 

Looking Back on The Year

This year, the Family Link app from Google gave me the ability to actually put more limitations on my kids internet and device use. This was the first time I was able to have more control over how much and when my children use their devices. As a parent, this control is great! Sometimes for kids not so much, so we’ve had to find a happy medium and balance where we meet in the middle. I’ve never wanted restrictions with time online to seem as if they were a punishment, because all device use isn’t negative. Initially I put stricter rules in place, but I found with our lifestyle that didn’t always work. I’ve had to do a lot of adjustments for how much my children use the internet for school work and also for the amount of travel that we’ve done, I had to loosen the reigns on their usage there as well. I’ve found that there is no magic number for the hours spent online, but more so placing healthy limits for balance in time online and time spent interacting with others and being screen free.

I will be 100% honest that as a parent, when I’m busy with something I will allow more time with device use. I do feel like my kids don’t abuse this right, because they spend a lot of time reading and at the library, which happens to be one of our favorite resources as homeschoolers. Parents, if this is also you, don’t beat yourself up for it! The best plan of action is to find balance with time online and time spent screen & device free, and educate yourself and your children on digital safety and awareness.

Be Internet Awesome

One of the reasons I feel so confident with how much time my children spend online and trust that they are making the right decisions is due to our conversations surrounding how to Be Internet Awesome. We’ve had many discussions about Google’s Internet Code of Awesome that has taught them the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety. The fun online game Interland helps to put their digital citizenship skills to the test.

Smart – Share with Care

Alert – Don’t Fall for Fake

Strong – Secure Your Secrets 

Kind – It’s Cool to Be Kind

Brave – When In Doubt, Talk It Out

To start these conversations with your children be sure to download the Be Internet Awesome Family Guide for tips!

Five Digital Tech Mantras We’re Adopting in the New Year

My kiddos and I recently sat down for one of our many conversations to talk about how we’ve used digital tech this past year, and with their help we’ve decided on “Five Digital Tech Mantras” that we can stick to all year long. Parents, these mantras work for both children and adults!

Digital Tech Mantras for 2020:

*I will make strong passwords that I can remember.

*I will stick to my designated times to be on and off devices. 

*I will spend more time making connections in real life than online.

*I will be an upstander if I witness online bullying.

*I will communicate if I see anything inappropriate online.

All of the resources I’ve shared in this post like the Family Link app from Google, the Be Internet Awesome Family Guide, and the Interland game have helped my family develop these mantras because the lessons learned (and played) there have set the groundwork and vocabulary to have productive conversations about being safe online and being mindful of how we’re using tech. I am positive that they can be useful to your family too! I challenge all of my readers to develop digital tech mantras that they can stick to all year long. We normally do family vision boards at the end of the year, and I will add in some creative time for us to print out our mantras and put them somewhere where we can be reminded of them daily.

What digital tech mantras are you thinking of adopting for 2020?