Resources Related to Technology

Many thanks to Laura Wifler for providing these resources, giving me permission to share. Incidentally, she is the co-author of our book study this semester, Gospel Mom.  My take-away on her article was this: “What if parents banded together and instead of it being the norm to give a phone to a child when they turn 12, it becomes abnormal?  What if schools put into place true “no phone zone” policies where everyone’s phone was put in a cellphone locker for 7 hours a day? What if parents held their ground, because they knew it wasn’t good for their child’s development and mental health, and suddenly kids were forced to talk to one another face-to-face?” WHAT IF?

Organizations:

·        Bark Technologies – They produce protective digital products. Their “tech guides” are also helpful if you want to lock down a tech device, including iPhones, iPads, Android, or video game consoles like Xbox. They have guides for slang words.

·        Protect Young Eyes – Chris McKenna does great work with Protect Young Eyes. He frequently lobbies with the government for more protection for children. PYE also produce family guides for how to put protections on any device.

·        Osprey Kids – Stands for “old school parents raising engaged youth” and their goal is to start a movement where children don’t have social media until they graduate from high school.

·        Screen Strong – Primarily, Screen Strong offers courses that you can take on your own, or ones you can do with your kids to learn science-based facts about why tech is harmful.

Tech-related Books, Kid and Family Specific:

·        Glow Kids

·        The Anxious Generation – Dangers of Social Media for Youth

·        Good Pictures, Bad Pictures (a great prep book for porn, ages 7-12)

·        Good Pictures, Bad Pictures Jr. (a younger version of the above for ages 3-6)

·        12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You

·        Social Sanity in an Insta World

Smart Phone Alternatives:

·        Bark phone

·        Gizmo Watch

·        Light phone (Beautiful design, great for adults who want to limit tech, too!)

·        Wisephone (Another great option for adults and kids!)

Home Internet Protections:

·        Aura,    Bark Home,   Covenant Eyes

·        The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Internet Routers

·        Gryphon Router (TL;DR – this won an award)