Parenting in the digital world.

By: Katie Regner

Learn about helping kids navigate our always-connected world with the Family Online Safety Institute in our Up To Speed Podcast. 

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Image of a teenager on a phone.

Are you a parent? Ever check your phone at the dinner table? Keep the phone at your bedside? Check Facebook before brushing your teeth? You’ll want to listen up.

I sat down with Stephen Balkam, Founder and CEO of the nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), to learn more about raising a family in the digital world. We covered a wide-range of topics from knowing when your child is ready for a smartphone, to the pitfalls of “sharenting,” to what kids can teach us about technology and how to stay media literate in the era of “fake news.”

When it comes to keeping kids safe online, privacy settings and screen time limits are just the start of the conversation. With many kids getting smartphones at seven and half years old, and tablets even earlier according to FOSI, we need to have a broader discussion about how we can help kids develop a healthy relationship with technology from the very beginning.

As a new mom, I walked away with a lot to think about — and whether you’re a parent or not, I think you will too.

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About the author:

Katie is a member of the Verizon Corporate Communications team and a regular host of Up To Speed. She's a new mom with a passion for show tunes trying to keep up with the latest trends in tech.

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