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.
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.
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
- Tweens, Teens, Tech, and Mental Health: Coming of Age in an Increasingly Digital, Uncertain,
and Unequal World 2020
- 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: