Smartphone & Social Media Agreement! What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know
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A smartphone and social media agreement can help families create healthy internet habits and set clear boundaries anytime a new device is brought into the home.
Watch this video to see how your family will benefit from a social media agreement/contract
In this VIP resource you will learn
- How to talk with your students about excessive screen time and social media use
- Dangers of social media and screen time such as depression, addiction, social anxiety, and suicide
- Tips to create healthy internet habits as a family
- What child psychologists say about setting family expectations for devices and how to teach respectful online behaviors
VIP members can download the SmartSocial Smartphone & Social Media Agreement template with this course to guide your discussion with your students
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Become a member or log in to view this course
Superintendents, Directors and Principals: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.
This app is listed in the SmartSocial.com Green Zone.
This app is not safe for students to use unsupervised, but a Green Zone app can serve a positive purpose to help a student to navigate social media and someday build an online brand. Read more below to find out why this app is in the Green Zone.
This app is listed in the SmartSocial.com Gray Zone.
Gray Zone apps often contain lots of private & disappearing messages, and strangers can use this to chat with students. Parents should participate in these apps with students to keep them safe. This zone can be a great place for family time since many of these apps can be entertaining, and let your students express themselves. Read more below to find out why this app is in the Gray Zone.
This app is listed in the SmartSocial.com Red Zone.
Red Zone apps often have lots of anonymous features, adult content, and easy contact with strangers. Supervision is strongly suggested on each of these apps or move your kids to a safer zone. All apps require parental supervision, these apps more than others. Read more below to find out why this app is in the Red Zone or view our list of 100+ Apps to find a safer app with your student.
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This trend is categorized as a Dangerous Social Media Challenge.
Viral challenges encourage students to do dangerous things to garner likes, views, attention, and subscribers. These challenges can be found across several social networks and may encourage students to perform dangerous activities. SmartSocial.com keeps parents updated on these social media challenges before an incident may occur in your community.
Table of Contents
This family guide to creating a smartphone and social media agreement will give you a peace of mind and direction for good conversation with your kids about the rules to follow with their smart devices and social media accounts.
You wouldn't hand your teen the keys to your car without first teaching them to drive... right? Giving students unsupervised access to the internet, without establishing rules and setting boundaries could be just as scary as unsupervised driving. One great way to trigger discussions about internet safety is to create a smartphone and social media agreement.
Social media & cell phone agreement downloads
Click here to download the PDF Family Social Media and Cell Phone Agreement
or
Click here to access a Google Doc template of the Family Social Media and Cell Phone Agreement
Parent, educator, & student training video
What we're covering in this video:
(Click on the three lines or a blue dot in video progress bar to skip to a chapter)
- What is a social media and cell phone agreement?
- 5 keys to creating a social media and smartphone contract with your family
- What are some of the dangers digital devices can pose?
- Filling out the agreement WITH your student
- General guidelines
- Screen time rules
- Account information
- Consequences
- What should you do with the agreement?
How do I make a smartphone and social media agreement?
A smartphone and social media agreement can serve as an icebreaker for parents to cover key safety issues like screen time limits, sexting, cyberbullying, and more. It gives students a glance at their own responsibilities as internet users and reminds them that using social media in a negative way comes with consequences.
Keys to creating a social media agreement
Child Psychologist Dr. Adam Pettler shared that there are five keys to creating a smartphone and social media contract for your family:
- Set family expectations for all devices
- Create guidelines about where and when the device can be used
- Encourage students to think before they post
- Require permission to download new apps
- Teach that respectful behavior earns more online privileges
Help your students understand why a social media agreement is important
It is important for your students to understand why you are establishing these guidelines. Some experts warn excessive screen time and social media use can lead to:
- Depression
- Addiction
- Social anxiety
- Suicide
A smartphone and social media agreement can help families create healthy internet habits. For example, as soon as a new device is introduced into the home you can create an agreement. Additionally, the start of a new school year is a great time to introduce an agreement to the whole family on the same page. Remember to revisit and revise the agreement, as needed, throughout the year.
Keep the social media agreement visible at home
After your students (and parents) sign your agreement, make sure to keep it somewhere visible, like on the fridge or hanging in their bedroom. As a result, everyone in the family will be able to regularly refer back to the agreement. Then, they will remember the commitments they made and the consequences they could face.
More social media agreement resources
5 keys to creating a social media contract for your child
The negative effects of social media for teens
Conclusion
At SmartSocial, we believe students can benefit from smartphone and social media, when they learn to use technology with a positive intention. They can have fun AND use the devices and apps responsibly. A smartphone and social media agreement can be a great learning tool for students to create good habits with technology.
Comment below to let us know what you think, what you learned, or if you have any other questions the Smart Social team can help you answer!
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