Parenting can be a demanding responsibility, especially in the age of technology. A survey on parents’ attitudes toward digital technology found that out of the respondents who believe that parenting is more challenging today, 26% cite technology as one of the leading causes. Technology has made information accessible to everyone, worrying parents that children may access inappropriate content or meet online predators. Although these concerns are well-founded, parents can harness technology positively. Especially for busy parents, technology can be a tool that aids the parenting process rather than hinders it. Listed below are the best digital solutions for parents and their kids.
Parental Control Applications
Parental control applications are one of the best interventions when it comes to ensuring your young children’s safety online. These applications allow you to block or filter websites and content, place time limits on gadgets, and record suspicious activity — providing busy parents alerts when needed. Before you implement parental controls, you must first explain why you are doing so. Some kids may feel upset about the upcoming limitations, but understanding that it’s for their protection can help build trust. You can even set up compromises, such as allowing them to move a website from a blocklist to a whitelist after they prove it’s not inappropriate. In the future, there may also be developments for authentication hardware, providing an extra layer of security for both parents' and children’s devices.
Digital Family Organizers
While your gadget’s default calendar and note-taking application can be great for personal use, having a digital family organizer can maximize how you set family plans. Instead of relying on physical calendars that are easy to forget, parents can take advantage and organize digitally; everyone can share their daily schedules, assign tasks and reminders, and plan to-do lists. Here are some tips on how you can maximize a family organizer:
Make sure all activities and important notes are recorded in one shared organizer, rather than multiple calendars and applications
Set a color code for each child, parent, or type of activity
Do night-time or morning check-ins to update each other on your most important activities
Teach younger children the habit of recording events in a journal before helping them log onto a digital organizer
Telemedicine Software
Even when parents are busy, they must make time for their own and their children’s health. However, some parents may find it difficult to manage overall health as they have other pressing responsibilities that limit their time to visit a healthcare professional. Fortunately, modern telemedicine software enables clinicians to keep people healthy, even outside their geographical region. These platforms are flexible yet provide quality healthcare, allowing patients to consult synchronously through live calls or asynchronously through chat about their health needs and concerns. As all these consultations are done remotely, parents don’t have to worry about travel logistics, saving time and money. When looking for a telemedicine provider, it’s crucial to look for privacy standards, terms, and compliance to ensure your medical data is secured. Technology shouldn’t be an enemy but a tool that benefits families. Digital solutions like parental control applications and digital family organizers are great options for busy parents to keep track of their children’s daily activities. On the other hand, telemedicine provides a convenient and time-effective option in the case a child or parent gets sick. With these digital opportunities, parenting may be much easier to handle.
