This week’s Mindful Monday is focused forming healthy digital habits for students and families as part of Digital Citizenship Week. Director of Education Technology, Harmony Briscoe and Coordinator of Education Technology, Shaney Valencia share three important tips to help students be strong digital citizens:
- Set screen time limits
- Develop rules for transparent device use
- Have an open dialogue about how to handle negative content if encountered
Additional Tips Include:
- Make healthy technology habits a family practice – For example, during family meal times, everyone should put their phones and devices away. How families model device use is important and can set positive examples for kids.
- Create healthy bedtime routines – The blue light that comes from devices suppresses the sleep hormone, melatonin. Exciting or scary images from TV shows or videos can also make it hard to settle down and rest. Discourage devices in bedrooms if you can and encourage no screen time 1-2 hours before bed to optimize healthy sleep habits.
- Support positive mental health – While there are many positive benefits associated with online media and devices, they can also effect students’ mental health and wellness – including comparisons, negative self-image and bullying. Set expectations for being a good digital citizen and proper device use, help your students know how to manage negative engagement and encourage breaks from devices with offline activities that include friends and family.
Tips from IUSD Student Advisory Committee (SAC) Members:
IUSD’s SAC Members provided some tips for what they do during finals and other stressful times to foster healthy digital habits and to help limit distractions:
- Temporarily delete/offload social media and other distracting apps.
- Put your phone in airplane mode, if you are not expecting any important phone calls or texts.
- Turn off push notifications during busy times.
- Check your screen time each week to set goals to reduce distractions.
- Silence notifications on your phone around bedtime.
- Or simply turn off your phone and take a break.
Click here for more information about our Digital Citizenship Week news post.
Additional Resources:
Digital Citizenship in IUSD, support.iusd.org for range of student and family resources, the Information Technology Department’s Digital Citizenship webpage, IUSD’s Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, and Common Sense Media.
To view all Mindful Mondays Videos, visit iusd.org/MindfulMondays.