Screen Time Safety

If children use technology in the appropriate environments and with the correct supervision and monitoring, children can benefit greatly from interaction with technology. However, it’s important that children understand how to use technology in healthy amounts.

• By the age of seven the average child will have spent a full year of 24-hour days watching recreational screen media (Dr Aric Sigman).
• In a survey with 1000 British mothers it was found that 85% of parents have used technology to keep their children entertained (Jary S, 2015).
• 30% of parents worry that their children do not spend enough time playing outside. The AO.com survey found that children are spending on average around 17 hours a week in front of a screen – almost double that 8.8 weekly hours spent on playing outside (AO.com).

How should I establish screen time rules?

How much time should our children spend in front of a screen?

…let’s find out what the experts say!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that:

• Children should not be exposed to media before they are 18 months old, and then only under strict supervision.
• Children aged two to five shouldn’t have more than an hour of screen use a day. Content should be age-appropriate and high quality.
• School-aged children and older should balance media use with other healthy behaviour and should have consistent screen time limits and variation of the type of devices that they use.

And – did you know?

“The French government has banned digital terrestrial TV aimed at all children under three, while Australia and Canada have similar recommendations and guidelines” (Jary S, 2015).

“Taiwanese parents are now legally obliged to monitor their children’s screen time and stop their children from spending too much time on electronic devices” (Lee Seok Kwai, 2015).

Do not fret! It’s not all that bad!

If children use technology in the appropriate environments and with the correct supervision and monitoring, children can benefit greatly from interaction with technology. There are proven benefits such as hand eye coordination, access to a wealth of information, improvement of language skills and problem skills (Will Earp, UK Safer Internet Centre). 

However, it’s important that children understand how to use technology in healthy amounts. Here are some of our top tips on how to establish screen time healthy habits that you can share with your pupils’ parents or with your own family:

1. Healthy exposure. Set and minimise screen time but explain to your children the reasons for doing so.
2. Find some of the latest tech-savvy apps that will help you limit screen time for children. Here are a few to check out: Screen Limit, Net Nanny and SPACE
3. Make sure children take frequent screen breaks. Professor Larry Rosen from the University of California State recommends a limit of 40 minutes followed by an hour break for children under 10.
4. Keep children off screens before bedtime to minimise sleep disruption.
5. Set no-go technology zones! For example, the ground floor in your house could be set as the only place you and your children can use technology – upstairs is a no-go zone for screens!
6. Introduce the concept of a digital diet! Set the date, and as a family set yourself the challenge and stick to your proposed digital diet.
7. Talk to other parents – what works for them and their children?
8. Use technology as positive reinforcement rather than negative. AO.com found that almost 1 in 3 parents confiscate techonology devices as a punishment for bad behaviour. Turn this around! DoodleMaths recently spoke to one parent whom explained how she uses DoodleMaths stars to reward her children – every star earned on DoodleMaths is one minute added to the pot of ‘golden time’ where the children can choose a fun activity to do with their family.
9. Be the perfect role model for your children! If you have banished screen time over dinner, make sure you stick to the rules too.
10. Find alternatives! Get your children to write 10 things they love to do that do not involve using a screen. Kick a ball around, to cook their favourite cake or to simply read a book. When the screen-time-craving tantrums commence, the list will come in very handy.

Article by:

DoodleMaths Team

Top 5 Revision Blogs

It is always helpful to have a few more ideas on how to approach revision, here are our 5 most popular blogs on different techniques that can help students get the most out of their time:

• How to Actually Use Retrieval Practice - Not all revision techniques are equal. Some are very effective while others make little impact. One of the most effective revision methods is retrieval practice, also known as the testing effect.
• Sleep - A Powerful Revision Technique - Despite spending on average over 20 years of our life doing it, the benefits of sleep are often not spoken about clearly and explicitly to students. 
• 5 Ways to Maximise Revision Time - There is no doubt that for many, last minute cramming and after school revision sessions will be the strategy of choice. But is there a better way? 
• 15 Ways to Maximise Memory - “Memory is the diary we all carry about with us” so said Oscar Wilde. But are some people’s diaries more accurate than others? What happens if you can’t naturally remember lots of things?
• 10 Ways to Revise Better - We've looked through the research to find how students can improve their memory, mood and concentration. Here are 10 simple tips that are the best ways to revise.

UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS)

New technologies inspire children to be creative, communicate and learn. However, while the internet is a great resource, it is important that children and young people are protected from the risks they may encounter. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) is a group of more than 200 organisations drawn from across government, industry, law, academia and charity sectors that work in partnership to help keep children safe online. The Council was established in 2008 following a review by Professor Tanya Byron discussing, and taking action, on topical issues concerning children’s use of the internet..

Contents

1. UKCCIS latest news
2. UKCCIS achievements include
3. UKCCIS members
4. Working groups
5. Contact details

UKCCIS latest news:

• Education for a Connected World- Framework (PDF, 2.35MB, 58 pages)

The Education for a Connected World framework describes the Digital knowledge and skills that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages of their lives. It highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development, and what skills they need to be able to navigate it.

The document supports one of the key aims of the government’s Internet Safety Strategy of supporting children to stay safe and make a positive contribution online, as well enabling teachers to develop effective strategies for understanding and handling online risks.

Have you used Education for a Connected World? We would value your feedback - please take a few moments to complete this brief survey. Your views will help shape the future development of this resource.

Sexting Guidance available in Welsh

The UKCCIS Education Group has produced advice for schools and colleges in Wales on responding to incidents of ‘sexting.’ The advice aims to support them in tackling the range of issues which these incidents present including responding to disclosures, handling devices and imagery, risk assessing situations and involving other agencies. The advice also contains information about preventative education, working with parents and reporting imagery to providers. This advice is non-statutory and should be read alongside the Welsh Government’s Keeping learners safe statutory guidance. Schools and colleges in England should continue to refer to the English version. The Welsh version of the guidance is available here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/professionals/guidance/sexting-guidance-wales/

• Tackling Race and Faith Targeted Bullying Face To Face and Online: A Guide For Schools (PDF, 238KB, 4 pages)

Keeping children safe from bullying connected to race and faith is integral to building safe and thriving communities. This guide highlights some key actions that can both prevent, and respond to race and faith targeted bullying in a school environment. There are also links to further resources and activities that can help you in your approach to promoting good relationships and equality in your school.

• Children’s online activities, risks and safety: A literature review by the UKCCIS Evidence Group (PDF, 5.54MB, 110 pages)

This review focusses on addressing: trends, to understand recent developments and anticipate emerging issues; online risk of harm to children and implications for safety policy and practice; and key findings, linking to original reports, highlighting useful graphs and including verbatim quotes from children where available.

• External Visitors Online Safety - Draft Consultation (PDF, 1.05MB, 20 pages)

External visitors can provide a useful and engaging approach to enable educational settings to deliver online safety messages to children, young people and adults. Educational settings seeking support from external visitors to help explore issues such as cyberbullying, online pornography, ‘sexting’ and staying safe online can use this document to guide their process of selecting suitable visitors and sessions. This consultation document explores key questions in the form of a checklist to help educational settings ensure the maximum impact of online safety sessions. The guidance highlights a range of resources which can be used to support educational settings to develop a whole setting approach towards online safety in line with national guidance. The document can be used to facilitate conversations between educational settings and external visitors to develop children and young people digital literacy skills and parental awareness. Following use of the document, you have an opportunity to feedback directly to the UKCCIS Education Working Group in the form of an online survey. All feedback will be considered and a final version of the guidance produced later this year.

• Overview of Sexting Guidance (PDF, 236KB, 1 page)

This one page summary document has been designed for all teaching and non – teaching staff in schools and colleges. It provides an overview to frontline staff on how to respond to incidences involving ‘sexting. The full advice document ‘Sexting in Schools and colleges’ complements the DfE’s Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance and the non-statutory Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance for schools.

• Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the Governing Board(PDF, 213KB, 6 pages)

The UKCCIS Education Group has developed guidance for school governors to help governing boards support their school leaders to keep children safe online. Governors can use it to: gain a basic understanding of the school’s current approach to keeping children safe online; learn how to improve this approach where appropriate; and find out about tools which can be used to improve the approach. The document includes examples of good and outstanding practice, as well as identifying when governors should be concerned. This guidance is non-statutory and should be read alongside the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance.

• Sexting in schools and colleges (PDF, 685KB, 50 pages)

The UKCCIS Education Group has produced advice for schools and colleges on responding to incidents of ‘sexting.’ The advice aims to support them in tackling the range of issues which these incidents present including responding to disclosures, handling devices and imagery, risk assessing situations and involving other agencies. The advice also contains information about preventative education, working with parents and reporting imagery to providers. This advice is non-statutory and should be read alongside the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance and non-statutory Searching, Screening and Confiscation advice for schools.

GOOD READ : 7 PARENTING BEHAVIOURS THAT STOP CHILDREN FROM BEING SUCCESSFUL

Author: Kathy Caprino



In the course of his research, leadership expert and author of best-selling psychology books Dr. Tim Elmore has discovered several major mistakes which parents often make when raising their children, which can reduce their self-confidence from an early age and limit their chances of becoming successful in their careers and personal lives.

To help you avoid making the committing the same errors, we’ve reproduced them below. Take a look.

1. We don’t let our children experience risk

We live in a world that warns us of danger at every turn. The "safety first" preoccupation enforces our fear of losing our kids, so we do everything we can to protect them. It’s our job after all, but we have insulated them from healthy risk-taking behaviour and it’s had an adverse effect. Psychologists in Europe have discovered that if a child doesn’t play outside and is never allowed to experience a skinned knee, they frequently have phobias as adults. Kids need to fall a few times to learn it’s normal; teens likely need to break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend to appreciate the emotional maturity that lasting relationships require. If parents remove risk from children’s lives, we will likely experience high arrogance and low self-esteem in our growing leaders.

2. We rescue too quickly

Today’s generation of young people has not developed some of the life skills kids did 30 years ago because adults swoop in and take care of problems for them. When we rescue too quickly and over-indulge our children with “assistance,“ we remove the need for them to navigate hardships and solve problems on their own. It’s parenting for the short-term and it sorely misses the point of leadership—to equip our young people to do it without help. Sooner or later, kids get used to someone rescuing them: ”If I fail or fall short, an adult will smooth things over and remove any consequences for my misconduct." When in reality, this isn’t even remotely close to how the world works, and therefore it disables our kids from becoming competent adults.

3. We rave too easily

The self-esteem movement has been around since Baby Boomers were kids, but it took root in our school systems in the 1980s. Attend a minio football tournament and you’ll see that everyone is a winner. This "everyone gets a medal" mentality might make our kids feel special, but research is now indicating this method has unintended consequences. Kids eventually observe that Mum and Dad are the only ones who think they’re awesome when no one else is saying it. They begin to doubt the objectivity of their parents; it feels good in the moment, but it’s not connected to reality. When we rave too easily and disregard poor behaviour, children eventually learn to cheat, exaggerate and lie and to avoid difficult reality. They have not been conditioned to face it.

4. We let guilt get in the way of leading well

Your child does not have to love you every minute. Your kids will get over the disappointment, but they won’t get over the effects of being spoiled. So tell them “no“ or ”not now," and let them fight for what they really value and need. As parents, we tend to give them what they want when rewarding our children, especially with multiple kids. When one does well in something, we feel it’s unfair to praise and reward that one and not the other. This is unrealistic and misses an opportunity to enforce the point to our kids that success is dependent upon our own actions and good deeds. Be careful not to teach them a good grade is rewarded by a trip to the shops. If your relationship is based on material rewards, kids will experience neither intrinsic motivation nor unconditional love.

5. We don’t share our past mistakes

Healthy teens are going to want to spread their wings and they’ll need to try things on their own. We as adults must let them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help them navigate these waters. Share with them the relevant mistakes you made when you were their age in a way that helps them learn to make good choices. (Avoid negative "lessons learned" having to do with smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs, etc.) Also, kids must prepare to encounter slip-ups and face the consequences of their decisions. Share how you felt when you faced a similar experience, what drove your actions, and the resulting lessons learned. Because we’re not the only influence on our kids, we must be the best influence.

6. We mistake intelligence, giftedness, and influence for maturity

Intelligence is often used as a measurement of a child’s maturity, and as a result, parents assume an intelligent child is ready for the world. That’s not the case. Some professional athletes and Hollywood starlets, for example, possess unimaginable talent but still get caught in a public scandal. Just because giftedness is present in one aspect of a child’s life, don’t assume it pervades all areas. There is no magic "age of responsibility" or a proven guide as to when a child should be given specific freedoms, but a good rule of thumb is to observe other children the same age as yours. If you notice that they are doing more themselves than your child does, you may be delaying your child’s independence.

7. We don’t practice what we preach

As parents, it is our responsibility to model the life we want our children to live. To help them lead a life of character and become dependable and accountable for their words and actions. As the leaders of our homes, we can start by only speaking honest words — white lies will surface and slowly erode character. Watch yourself in the little ethical choices that others might notice, because your kids will notice too. If you don’t cut corners, for example, they will know it’s not acceptable for them to either. Show your kids what it means to give selflessly and joyfully by volunteering for a service project or with a community group. Leave people and places better than you found them, and your kids will take note and do the same.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS THAT WILL ENHANCE YOUR PC PRODUCTIVITY

Ever wondered what it is like to be able to complete your tasks in half the time? How come your peers are able to find time to play games while still completing their assignments in timely fashion? Perhaps they had some additional help you are not aware of, but have always been right in front of you.

No doubt you will have noticed the disruption and loss of time in switching your hands between the keyboard and mouse. Luckily wizards at Microsoft have been adding some little-known but time-saving keyboard shortcuts into their operating systems over the years. As a matter of fact, some really handy ones have been built right into Windows 7 and most modern web browsers. If improving your process flow is on your to-do-list, and maybe impress your bosses along the way, read on to find out more.






1. Move the cursor one word at a time




This trick will allow you to navigate the text word by word instead of letter by letter.



2. Select one word at a time




How about selecting entire words instead of letter by letter? This is what does the trick, selecting your text word by word.


3. Delete entire words




Doubt there is a faster way of ‘bulldozing’ through your unwanted text than this.


4. Select all text in the current line relative to the cursor




Instead of reaching for that mouse, try selecting your whole line of text with this.


5. Minimize all windows




Keep this trick handy if you like to Facebook in office.


6. Cycle between windows




Well this is certainly an eye-catching shortcut. Try it to see what I mean.


7. Lock the computer




Heading to the pantry for a quick bite? What better way to spend more time in the pantry than locking down your pc.


8. Launch the Task Manager




System’s hanging? Disable the troubled application with this trick.


9. Take a screenshot of the active window only




Cropping down a screenshot with multiple windows is a major pain, especially if you are a desktop real estate magnate. Capture a shot of your active window with this trick.


10. Rename a file




Forget about the right-clicking method, for this works with multiple files as well.


11. Zoom in and out




A common trick applicable to major applications, including browsers, word processors and Photoshop.


12. Return to default zoom




Done with the part requiring magnification? Use this trick to get your normal view.


13. In Browser: Open a new tab




If you prefer to run searches with a new tab, this is bound to be handy.


14. In Browser: Reopen closed tab




Definitely one of the most important tricks in the book; if you accidentally close your webpage while on something important, this will save your butt.


15. In Browser: Focus cursor on URL/search field





Why run through your massive list of Favourites if the URL has been etched into your memory?


There are plenty more shortcuts built into Windows and modern applications and it is up to you to perfect their use. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. In no time you will be able to speed up your processing speed and have plenty of room to plan your personal appointments after work.

257 minutes: the time teens can spend on computers each day before harming wellbeing

 Sarah Knapton, science editor 

Parents should worry less about the amount of time their children spend using smartphones, computers and playing video games because screen time is actually beneficial, the University of Oxford has concluded.

The rise in technology in the past decade has led to fears that teenagers could be damaging their social skills and mental health by spending increasing amounts of time online or immersed in a virtual world.

Yet when researchers at Oxford University quizzed 120,000 15-year-olds about their wellbeing and compared it to screen time, they found the use of gadgets had a positive impact.

In fact, wellbeing peaked at four hours and 17 minutes of computer use a day before starting to dip again, suggesting devices have a Goldilocks Zone where the amount of screen time is ‘just right.’  For smartphones the ‘sweet spot’ was around two hours and one hour 40 minutes for video games.  

Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Buckingham

The researchers say that digital connectivity may enhance creativity, communication skills and development and conclude there is little to support fears that spending time on digital devices is harmful.

“Previous research has oversimplified the relationship between digital screen time and the mental wellbeing of teenagers,” said Dr Andrew Przybylski, of the Oxford Internet Institute.

“Overall we found that modern use of digital technology is not intrinsically harmful and may have advantages in a connected world unless digital devices are overused or interfere with schoolwork or after school activities.

“Our research suggests that some connectivity is probably better than none and there are moderate levels that as in the story of Goldilocks are just right for young people.”

However the study did not take into account whether physical health was affected by spending too much time staring at screens, or calculate the cumulative effect of using multiple devices.

In 2014, researchers in China found that too much internet use caused brain shrinkage, while psychiatrists say children can become hyper-aroused by gadgets, a condition dubbed ‘electronic screen syndrome.’ Studies have also shown that using computers, smartphones or tablets before bedtime disrupts sleep.

Sir Anthony Seldon the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and former master of Wellington College said screen time was a ‘very significant concern’.

“Intelligent use of computers can enhance the life of teenagers but overall they are spending vastly too much time online,” he added.

“Real people, real exercise, real environments and above all real relationships in the flesh are what young people need to develop into healthy adults.

“I’m extremely worried by the extensive and indiscriminate exposure of adolescents to computers. It should be a very significant concern.”

The researchers of the new study agreed that electronic devices could be harmful if youngsters were using them to avoid exercise, sleep or avoid making friends. But they also said they could actually be beneficial for development.

Co-author Dr Netta Weinstein of Cardiff University said: “To the extent that digital activities either enrich teenagers’ lives or displace more rewarding activities, they should have either positive or negative effects on their mental well-being.

“There have been theories that digital use is disrupting more satisfying pursuits. However, the role of digital technology has a central role in everyday life and online gaming is now a shared way of playing for teenage boys.

“There is good reason to think digital technology used in moderation is not disruptive and may even support development.’

Commenting on the research, Dr Pete Etchells, senior lecturer in Biological Psychology, Bath Spa University, said: "The study shows that certain levels of technology use may actually be beneficial to children.

"Where negative effects do exist, these are in fact quite weak, compared to other factors such as getting a decent night's sleep which have previously been shown to have an influence on well-being. 

"Taken altogether then, the study shows that we need to drastically reconsider the way we think about screen time - there just isn't a simple negative correlation between using digital technology and wellbeing.

The research was published in the journal Psychological Science.

eSafety for Parents