Parenting is one of the world’s hardest, most rewarding jobs. But if you grew up before the age of the internet and smartphones, you might feel nostalgic for an era when life was a bit simpler as you navigate raising your kids in today’s rapidly evolving digital world.
Parents today face a complex challenge: The digital world offers great educational tools, fun content and opportunities to connect with others. But it also comes with risks and kids are spending more time online than ever before. It’s hard for parents to know how much time is too much and even harder to set and enforce time limits.
A 2023 Pew Research Center study found that while 72 percent of teens admitted they feel peaceful without their smartphone, 44 percent feel anxious without it and 39 percent feel lonely. Half of all parents admitted that they’ve looked through their child’s phone to monitor activity.
“My biggest concern is other children on social media,” admits Katie Haines, a parent at Holiday Hill Elementary in Jacksonville, Fla. “I want my kids to know how to handle problems that they face online, but that means I need to know how to speak to them about how to handle those situations.”
Parents across the country are echoing Haines’ sentiments.
PTA Connected Empowers Parents with Digital Knowledge
National PTA supports parents in guiding their children’s digital experiences through PTA Connected, a set of programs that equip families and children from elementary to high school with skills they need to stay safe and thrive in the digital world. PTA Connected programs also help families make informed decisions about device usage and screen time.
PTA Connected is designed to foster open and honest conversations about digital safety and good digital citizenship. Through the programs, informative resources and open community discussions, National PTA is focused on four key areas:
- Digital access and equity: Ensuring all children have the tools they need to participate online
- Digital safety and well-being: Helping kids navigate the online world safely and develop healthy digital habits
- Cybersecurity: Equipping families with knowledge to protect themselves from online threats
- Digital literacy: Developing critical thinking skills for evaluating information found online
With the generous support of corporate partners, National PTA has awarded over $1.5 million in funding to PTAs across the country to help them run PTA Connected programs and host events in their school community.
Ready, Tech, Go! Helps Families Determine Screen Readiness and Establish Healthy Digital Habits
Developed through a collaboration between National PTA and AT&T, Ready, Tech, Go! is a PTA Connected program that helps families have meaningful peer-to-peer discussions about screen readiness. The program also offers ways to promote healthy and responsible device use for all members of the family.
Attendees at Ready, Tech, Go! events collaborate with each other in breakout sessions, discussing the questions they have and challenges they face with raising kids in the digital age. Topics include screen readiness, digital safety and appropriate screen time to help families create a healthy digital home.
“One of the biggest challenges parents are facing is not knowing what their children are getting into, or who they may be speaking to on the internet,” says Carolyn Nelson-Goedert, president of the Florida PTA. “We see news, we see television programs [and think], ‘Not my child.’ But it could be your child. If we take the time to get the tools such as what AT&T offers through the partnership with National PTA, we can educate parents so they can in turn educate their children and keep them safe.”
What Parents Are Saying
PTAs across the country are hosting Ready, Tech, Go! events, where parents and students are taking AT&T’s PhoneReady Quiz, created by AT&T and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The quiz helps families determine if their child is truly ready for a device. PTAs also invite speakers to these events to talk about topics like cybersecurity and online bullying. National PTA provides a program guide to help facilitate the discussion.
Here is what attendees are saying about Ready, Tech, Go! events:
Jeanie Poon, parent at Holiday Hill Elementary in Jacksonville, Fla.: “My big takeaway at the end of the program is I need to have a conversation with my child. My mindset was biased going in, in that I wasn’t even involving him. Having that conversation first and foremost before we even discuss having a device is what is most important.”
Ann Solomon, parent at Holiday Hill Elementary in Jacksonville, Fla.: “As parents, we’re always thinking, ‘We make the rules; we tell you what to do.’ But when you engage your kids [in] helping make those rules and the consequences, then you’re a group decision. It helps when you have to execute on those consequences.”
Kaitlin, parent at Luiseño School in Corona, Calif.: “There are so many times where as parents, it could be easy to think ‘Oh here’s an iPad, go do this, go do that.’ But you know, we could also be more engaged with our kids and give them better options. Don’t tell them, show them. As parents, that is our job to teach them better habits.”
James Whittemore, PTA parent at Holiday Hill Elementary in Jacksonville, Fla.: “There are a ton of opportunities to make missteps for kids, [and] it’s hard to put a control once the device is there. So the tone of this teaching tonight, where you’re engaging your kid and helping them to understand where their boundaries are—helping them to establish their own boundaries—I think it’s a great idea, because they can then make the proper decision when that decision is brought to them.”
Phil, parent at Luiseño School in Corona, Calif.: “The biggest takeaway for me was a slide that said, ‘As a parent, are YOU ready?’ Are you ready to be consistent, are you ready to set rules, are you ready to model good behavior? Because it’s easy to talk about is your child ready, but as a parent, my takeaway and, I guess, my calling, was: Wait a minute: Am I ready to really be firm and set consistent boundaries? I’m going to have to reflect on that, and hopefully I am ready.”
PTA President, Jacksonville Elementary, Phoenix, Md.: “By learning from each other’s experiences and opinions at our event, parents gained confidence in setting tech boundaries that align with their family values.”
PTA President, Hembree Springs Elementary School, Roswell, Ga.: “We all have the same questions about how to keep our kids safe and how to limit screen time. This program brought us all together to talk about these issues.”
Lauren Lee, parent at Holiday Hill Elementary in Jacksonville, Fla.: “It’s reassuring to be in a cafeteria or in a room, knowing that there are lots of heads nodding. Knowing that other people are going through the same struggles and the same victories that you are when it comes to choosing what’s right for your child.”
National PTA remains steadfast in its commitment to digital safety. Ready, Tech, Go! educates and empowers parents and families to make informed decisions in the digital age. Learn more about PTA Connected and Ready, Tech, Go! and access free, online resources to help parents support and guide kids in the digital world at PTA.org/Connected and PTA.org/ReadyTechGo.
