Welcome to the TechApps Parent's Page!

Hello, TechApps parents!

Welcome to the joys of middle school, specifically middle school technology. This page will have links to resources and articles we think might be of interest to middle school parents, as we learn to navigate the potential pitfalls of our children's online lives together.

• TechApps Parent Letter 25-26

 

Chromebooks:

• Check Out and Pledge (this is what you and your child signed when you received the Chromebook)
• General Chromebook Information (this was on the back of the Orientation handout from when you received the Chromebook)
• What Should Parents Do? (from the General Chromebook Information sheet above)
  • Parents, while the Chromebook is at home, you set the rules for its use to reinforce and support your home values. You set the boundaries for where, when, and how the Chromebook may be used. Many parents use some combination of the following:
    • Chromebook may only be used in common space in the home, with screen visible
    • Chromebook may only be used for schoolwork
    • Chromebook may only be used at specific times
  • Parents set expectations for appropriate use of technology at home. Parents also determine consequences for inappropriate online behavior at home. Putting the Chromebook (or any device) in "time out" can be effective, but it is not the only approach. Parents, you know what works for your own children best.

 

Continue the Digital Citizenship Conversation at Home:

• Be Internet Awesome Family Guide - This family guide (PDF) from Google's Be Internet Awesome includes vocabulary, discussion points, and family activities to help families set a foundation for safe internet use.
• Talking with Your Kids about Online Safety - This discussion guide from the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) includes discussion topics for talking with children about online safety.
• The Smart Talk - This website is a resource from the National PTA, with funding from Norton LifeLock, for families to establish ground rules for children's technology use including safety and privacy, screen time, social media and respect, apps and downloads, and texting and calling.

 

Parenting, Kids, and AI:

• Navigating AI as a Parent: How to Support Your Child's Digital Well-being
• Parenting in the Age of AI - The basics from Children's Mercy.
• Parenting in the Age of AI - An informed opinion article from IAPP (formerly the International Association of Privacy Professionals)
• Smart Choices: A Parents' Guide to Navigating the Risks of Generative AI - Practical information and advice from the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
  • Tip Sheet: Smart Choices: A Parents' Guide to Navigating the Risks of Generative AI - Find even more details on this handy parent's tip sheet.
• Research Brief: Teens, Trust, and Technology in the Age of AI - This report examimes how U.S. teens age 13-18 experience and perceive trust online in the age of generative AI.
• Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions - How are teens actually using AI companions?
• Teen and Young Adult Perspectives on Generative AI: Patterns of Use, Excitements, and Concerns - How are young people (14 - 22) perceiving and interacting with generative AI technologies?
• How AI Chatbots Affect Kids: Benefits, Risks & What Parents Need to Know - Information and advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics
• The Dark Side of AI: Risks to Children - Worst-case scenarios from the Child Rescue Coalition

 

General Resources for Parents:

• Kids & Tech: Tips for Parents in the Digital Age - Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on how to navigate parenting in the digital age and set boundaries for digital device use.
• What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones - Article from The Atlantic describing results of a March 2025 Harris Poll gathering feedback from children
• How Social Media Affects Teens - Blog post from Just Say Yes discussing the pros and cons of social media for teens
• Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such a Thing? - Spoiler: Yes, there is such a thing.
• More than 3 "yes" answers may indicate an addiction:
• Is your preferred media activity the only thing that puts you in a good mood?
• Are you angry or otherwise unhappy when forced to unplug?
• Is your use increasing over time?
• Do you sneak around to use screens?
• Does it interfere with family activities, friendships or school?
• Parenting, Media, and Everything in Between - Common Sense Media's guides to managing the digital lives of tweens (For ALL the resources, click the "Parents Need to Know" menu button)
• Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included site reviewing privacy & security of smart devices
• Teens, Screens, and Mental Health - a report from the World Health Organization
• Sharenting: Children's Privacy in the Age of Social Media - an article from Emory Law School about the tension "between a parent's right to share online and a child's interest in privacy."
• What Tech Companies Know about Your Kids - TEDTalk from Veronica Barrassi about data gathering, AI, and what it can mean for our children's future

 

Parental Control Resources:

• Ultimate Guide to Parental Controls - This guide from Common Sense Media and Google includes strategies and tips for using parental controls with a variety of digital devices.
• Family Guide to Parental Controls - This article from ConnectSafely includes information about parental controls, internet filtering and monitoring software, screen-time limits, and modeling positive digital behavior.
• Mo Devices Mo Problems: ADDitude's Top 10 Parental Control Apps - article from May 2020 reviewing several parental device monitoring/controlling apps