Technology@Home

Here are some tips and suggestions for being safe and responsible with technology at home

• Keep devices in an area with high visibility. Kids are more likely to stay ‘on-task’ and least likely to engage in questionable behavior if the device (and its screen) is in view of the rest of the family.
• Don’t allow devices to stay the night in your child’s bedroom. Technology can be highly distracting – and even worse if someone is having a hard time sleeping. A suggestion might be that devices (and their chargers) stay in the parent or guardian’s room, or a similar space that discourages being moved to a child’s room.
• Be aware and check in. We would encourage parents and guardians to regularly jump on their child’s device, have them show you the work they have been doing, and the things they are learning. Not only is it a great way to get involved in their learning, but often gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment in their work.
• Don’t be afraid to set limits. Unlike eating too much ice cream (or eating it too fast), technology – as amazing as it is – doesn’t ‘tap the breaks’ the way an ice cream headache might. Like most everything in life, balance is a necessity, and often different for different people. If you feel that your child is spending too much time on their device at home doing school-related work, reach out to their teacher and learn more about what is being assigned or expected.
• Snack Time should be away from the computer. Even being careful, the risks of damage (or general cleanliness) to a device are very high if being used or near where a child is eating, drinking, etc.

Internet Safety

In today’s connected world, the internet is woven into our children’s education, friendships, and play. And while that brings real benefits and opportunities – but it can also bring real risks, from stumbling onto inappropriate content and falling for scams to cyberbullying, oversharing personal details, or interacting with people who aren’t who they claim to be. Teaching internet safety early isn’t about creating fear; it’s about giving your child the judgment and habits that protect their privacy, emotional well-being, and future. Kids this age are forming lifelong patterns, and the conversations you start now help them stay safer as they gain more freedom online.

Some core ideas worth discussing regularly include keeping private information private (full name, address, school, photos, or location), thinking before they post or click, and recognizing that a digital footprint lasts. Encourage them to question what they see, treat others with the same kindness they’d show in person, and know it’s always okay to come to you if something feels off, confusing, or upsetting.

Pair those talks with practical steps: set clear family rules around screen time and approved apps, use the parental controls already built into devices and your home network, and stay involved by asking about their online world without turning every conversation into a lecture. Modeling the same caution and respect in your own online life makes the lessons stick.

To make these discussions easier and more engaging, explore family-focused programs, such as Google’s Be Internet Awesome at ( https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/families ). It offers a free family guide, conversation starters, and the Interland game that teaches kids the key principles – Share with Care, Don’t Fall for Fake, Stay Safe and Secure, It’s Cool to Be Kind, and When in Doubt, Talk It Out – through play.

Complementary resources from Common Sense Media provide age-specific tips, family activities, and media reviews that pair well with what your child is already using. Using tools like these together can turn internet safety into a shared, positive habit rather than a source of worry.

Content Filtering

Content filtering (sometimes called web filtering) is technology that inspects internet requests and blocks or allows access according to predefined rules. It typically works by checking website addresses against categorized lists (for example, adult content, violence, gambling, or social media), scanning for keywords, using DNS-level blocks, or applying more advanced analysis of page content. Schools often layer these tools with firewalls, device management software, and classroom monitoring so that students on school networks or school-issued devices have restricted access.

Content filtering is used first and foremost to comply with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Schools (such as ours) that receive E-Rate discounts for internet access or related services must have an internet safety policy and a “technology protection measure” that blocks or filters adult content, or content harmful to minors when computers are used by minors. CIPA also requires monitoring of minors’ online activities and education about appropriate online behavior, including social networking and cyberbullying. While these types of behavior/activities are prohibited by school and/or district policies, we also make use of technological tools to help enforce those policies, and encourage proper, responsible use of technology and the internet.

No filtering system is perfect, and none can recognize context, intent, or appropriateness the way a human teacher, librarian, or parent can. Filters rely on databases and algorithms that are always incomplete: they frequently over-block legitimate educational sites (news articles, health information, research materials) and under-block new or unclassified pages, encrypted content, images or videos that do not match text rules, or material whose meaning depends on context. Students can sometimes circumvent filters with VPNs or other workarounds, and the internet changes faster than any list can be updated. There is no technology can identify or block every inappropriate, inaccurate, or harmful item. Filtering is therefore only one layer of protection; it works best when combined with adult supervision, clear family and school rules, and ongoing conversations that teach children how to evaluate what they see and when to ask for help.