SPC, the Spanish consumer electronics brand, committed to the safe, healthy, and responsible use of technology within families, collaborates with digital education expert Laura Cuesta Cano to develop a guide for parental mediation in technology use
From children’s tablets to the first mobile phone, SPC and Laura Cuesta Cano gather key points to adapt technology use to each age group of children
This holiday season, many parents are considering gifting technology, which in some cases will be their children’s first digital device. Currently, 52% of minors in our country say their parents never or almost never talk to them about internet use, compared to 37% in the European average, according to data from the Gaptain platform. This situation highlights the need for society as a whole to continue working so that parental mediation, the process by which those responsible for the child guide them in digital literacy, becomes normalized within families.
The Spanish consumer electronics brand SPC, in its commitment to the safe, healthy, and responsible use of technology within families, together with Laura Cuesta Cano, expert in digital education and communication, continues working to help parents face the educational challenge that parental mediation in technology introduction represents.
Teresa Acha-Orbea, General Manager of SPC, comments: “Parents have the responsibility to educate our children in the proper use of technology. As a consumer electronics brand with devices for all ages, we are delighted to collaborate with an expert like Laura to support families in this process.” She adds: “At SPC, we advocate for accompanying the little ones throughout the entire process, as well as establishing clear and consistent limits and rules, and using parental control systems.”
Education within the family is the foundation for the safe, healthy, and responsible use of technology. This process, accompanied and guided by adults, should be done together, with rules adapted to each age so that children gradually gain autonomy. For this reason, SPC and Laura Cuesta Cano have developed a series of recommendations adapted to different ages so families can have a guide in the technological literacy process of their children and help them use technology responsibly from their first tablets until they get their first smartphone.
First contact with screens: ages 3 to 5
Technological devices such as tablets, smartphones, or computers are part of households, both for professional use by adults and as key entertainment tools for everyone in the home. Choosing the first tablets and setting them up is crucial in these early steps. Devices with a cheerful, compact, and durable design adapted for the little ones, like the SPC GRAVITY 3 MINI, are among the most recommended options for families due to their compatibility with Google’s parental control: Family Link. Once the first tablet is chosen, parental mediation at this stage should focus on:
- Set short and occasional usage times: digital device use should be limited to between half an hour and one hour per day.
- Carefully select content: adults should choose the content children will consume on tablets to ensure it is age-appropriate. Additionally, there are various apps like Ditto Education that support learning and cognitive development by providing access to stories, music, and children’s programs.
- Accompany your children during the activity: the first tablets should not be used as a digital pacifier; it is recommended to create a family activity where the content is accompanied by explanations from an adult.
- Set up parental controls step by step: regardless of the child’s age and always as a complement to adult supervision, it is essential that the device supports parental controls and that they are properly configured, as through them adults can set time limits, manage privacy settings, monitor how children use the device, and even track their location.
Creative and recreational use of technology: ages 6 to 9
After the initial contact focused on entertainment, screens take on a more educational and learning role. Therefore, at this stage, tablet use may require devices with more advanced specifications so children can use them not only for recreation but also for creativity. In this regard, SPC offers more advanced tablets like the SPC GRAVITY 4 and SPC GRAVITY 4 PLUS, which grow with the children, providing smooth performance thanks to their powerful processor and up to 6GB of RAM, and unmatched battery life. These devices also remain compatible with Google Family Link. Although children will seek more autonomy at this stage, parents’ role remains fundamental and should continue based on the following pillars:
- Set connection limits: children should not be kept away from screens but encouraged to use them properly, agreeing with them on connection and usage times. The Spanish Pediatric Association (AEP) recommends no more than two hours of digital leisure per day.
- Teach how to identify positive and age-appropriate content: from six years old, parental mediation should help children start understanding what they can and cannot watch. Parental accompaniment and dialogue are essential for this.
- Supervise their activity and online contacts: it is important for children to explore their environment in a controlled way. They should look, touch, play, try, and interact with others. In this sense, besides teaching, parental controls are allies for families.
- Show them how to search for information: not everything on the internet is as it seems. Turning information searches into a family activity is a practical way for children to learn how to search effectively in the future. Likewise, identifying beneficial apps like Academons Primary will help develop their creativity using screens.
First mobiles and smartphones: ages 10 to 13
Smartphones are part of children’s lives. They are devices commonly used by parents and increasingly requested by children at younger ages. When making this technological step in the family, it is important to consider device features and understand the difference between phones like the SPC TALK and smartphones like the SPC DISCOVERY to make the best decision.
- Mobile phones vs. smartphones: mobile phones without internet connection, like the SPC TALK, are the most recommended devices to introduce children to mobile telephony. They can make and receive calls, always under supervision and agreed rules. As their development and maturity progress, families can provide a smartphone like the SPC DISCOVERY with more advanced features and subscribe to a data plan appropriate to their usage, never unlimited.
- Supervise content and contacts: learning to verify information and agreeing together on device and internet use is essential for parental mediation to work in technology introduction. At this stage, it is advisable to continue using parental controls but in a more flexible way adapted to each child.
- Adjust connection times to their age and maturity: families should negotiate and clearly define when and how devices will be used daily. Limits should be clear during the school period and if rules differ on weekends or holidays.
- Moderate accompaniment adapting to their development: although children will demand more independence at this stage, families’ role remains to educate and support. Families should learn together and grant more independence in activities children have been doing since they started using screens, without parents ceasing to be the reference and person to consult.
“Supervising, accompanying, and guiding are the three main keys to parental mediation. Before giving a technological device, we must be aware of our child’s nature to accompany, guide, and teach them to use it properly according to their age,” says Laura Cuesta Cano, digital education expert for families. “These keys, developed jointly by SPC and me, are a practical guide aimed at supporting families in this process so their children learn to use technological devices safely, healthily, and responsibly.”
[button url="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0566/7025/7239/files/NdP_Claves_por_edades_web.docx?v=1699542380" text="Download"]
