Page 200 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

Chapter 7 • Household Guidelines

With the 24-hour rule:

Your child is somewhat curious about the photos but also knows he/she
shouldn’t be looking at them. They know they are inappropriate and also know
you have a 24-hour rule about mistakes being made on the internet or in real
life. He/she brings it to your attention, at which point you can have a discus-
sion about what they saw and also talk about “phishing” sites and how viruses/
spam can come from such places. The computer isn’t affected, and you figure
out how to put on a stronger image filter to avoid future missteps.

This scenario is tricky because some of the damage has already been done by
the child seeing the inappropriate image. Much like the case of the FAA, at
that point you are in damage control and adjustment mode. However, if your
child doesn’t tell you, under the protection of the 24-hour rule, the range of
possible outcomes continue to get worse. If your child reveals what was discov-
ered immediately, you can have an on-point (albeit somewhat uncomfortable)
conversation about what your child saw and also make necessary adjustments
to filters and image searches to avoid it happening again in the future.

The 24-hour rule is a great general rule to put in place in a household—but
know there might be the occasion when it has to be broken, especially if a
child or teen starts to abuse it. Knowing there is freedom from consequence
could cause them to test their limits more often and then tell you about it after
the fact. The basis for the 24-hour rule is that there are consequences for every
action, but the severity of those consequences is made greater by your child
keeping it from you.

Purpose of Household Guidelines

Regardless of what rules and guidelines you decide to put into action in your
household about technology, devices, and social media, you should always
evaluate those rules as an opportunity for growth more than punishment. Just
like the 24-hour rule, this can often lead to some difficult conversations—but
remember that a hard conversation now can help your child make a better
decision later in life.

80 Mobile Learning Mindset: The Parent’s Guide to Supporting Digital Age Learners

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