The look on their little faces was priceless. Santa brought them a new tablet!
You spent weeks (months) responding to their yearning desire (whining) for a new iPad with a cheerful “Put it on your Christmas list!”. You battled the crowds at the mall, dutifully kept it hidden high up on a shelf where they would never look (the laundry room works for us) and finally Christmas morning is here. Now, sitting among piles of ripped wrapping paper, bows, and ribbon, your child is staring into the glowing screen of their very own (or at least, shared with you and their siblings) tablet!
But before any apps are downloaded, passwords set, wifi is connected, or it is even put inside the new “Angry Birds” case you found for it, be sure your child knows your expectations for what having the power of a tablet really means.
We must clearly communicate our cybersecurity expectations to our children before safety issues arise – not after.
Download our Cyber Sprit Pledge. Then print it and most importantly – read it with your child. Have your kids understand, ask questions, then commit to using their new tablet safely and appropriately. Even better, they pledge their good behavior to the man in the red suit who brought them their new most prized possession, which for some kids means slightly more. There’s even a place for them to sign it. Then post it and remind them of their pledge.
It’s kind of like having an elf, but year round, and even better- you don’t have to remember to move it!
Christmas (thankfully) only comes once a year, but they will be using their tablet for a long time (or until it is destroyed in a freak bathtub incident) and each and every time they use it, no matter where they use it, however they use it – they need to be responsible, safe and protected.
And as always, Download CynjaSpace on it too.
Merry Christmas!