Mobile phones without internet access, smartphones compatible with parental controls… there are many options available to families to promote appropriate use
SPC supports the safe, healthy, and responsible use of technology within families this Christmas with five key tips for parents who decide to give a mobile phone as a gift.
Christmas is one of the times when these gadgets become the stars of letters to Santa Claus or the Three Wise Men from the East, and it is then that families must consider the learning and maturity process of the person receiving the gift to choose one type or another. There are many options, but for those parents who believe this is the right moment to give a mobile phone, SPC, the Spanish technology brand, has compiled five tips to keep in mind to ensure the safe, healthy, and responsible use of this type of technology:
- Explore phones and products without internet access: there are currently different options on the market for children to become familiar with technology. Phones without internet connection that allow making and receiving calls are a good option to introduce them to technology and help them understand that it is primarily a communication tool.
- Jointly establish how the device will be used: parents have the responsibility to guide the little ones in the use of technology and set limits according to their maturity. It is common for children to gradually seek more independence and use screens for other activities. Therefore, all family members should engage in dialogue to decide how the device will be used at each moment, set time limits, and make it clear that adults should always be their reference. In this regard, SPC has developed, together with digital communication expert Laura Cuesta Cano, a guide for families entering this process.
- If you choose a smartphone, make parental controls your ally: in the early stages, it is essential to accompany and guide children, but it is not always possible to be there. Therefore, parental controls are very useful tools when introducing kids to technology. Parental controls like Google Family Link allow setting time limits, managing privacy settings, and knowing what they are doing with the device when you cannot be present. If needed, SPC provides parents with guidelines to properly configure this tool on devices.
- Avoid device use during school hours: screens and devices can have countless uses, from entertainment to supporting children’s educational learning. However, during school hours, regardless of whether schools prohibit it or not, these devices should not be used. It is the family’s responsibility to communicate to children that using devices at school is not allowed before providing them with a mobile device. Also, through parental controls, the smartphone can be set to turn off during classes.
- Review data plans to contract and avoid unlimited ones: when children start using a smartphone, self-management is a challenging moment. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid unlimited data plans so that children understand they do not have unlimited online content access and decide with their parents what they can access.
The Spanish consumer electronics brand SPC continues its commitment to the safe, healthy, and responsible use of technology within families. Therefore, in addition to working to help parents with the educational challenge that parental mediation in technology introduction entails, it offers a wide portfolio of technological products to bring technology closer to everyone. Among all product families, parents can find everything from mobile phones without internet access like SPC TALK to smartphones with the latest technologies but compatible with parental controls like SPC DISCOVERY.
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