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Six Popular YouTube Channels Parents Can Trust

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Shallow and manipulative influencers, the toxic culture of materialism and vanity, vulgarity, pranks, and violence have earned YouTube a mixed reputation when it comes to acting in the best interest of young users. Parents talk of wanting to ban it, but they also recognize the benefits it can have on their kids. Plus, kids LOVE it! Beyond the questionable content, the platform offers opportunities for creativity, education, socialization, and entertainment that is safe for young audiences. Many popular influencers create content with their younger audience in mind, censoring their language and actively selecting appropriate topics. Join us in this exploration of some child-and-teen-friendly YouTube creators and their potential to inspire children to explore the world beyond their screens.

YouTube as a Source of Educational Inspiration

With channels featuring art, technology, beauty, music, or the environment, YouTube offers millions of opportunities to explore. Many online communities have gained popularity over the last few years, including those centered around makeup, comedy, cooking, DIY projects, dance, and video games. Shows like Bill Nye the Science Guy and Sesame Street produce videos to educate children about the wonders of the world. Many even inspire kids to explore their interests and experience the potential in the offscreen world around them.

If you haven’t yet allowed your kids access to a browser or haven’t yet put solid safe screen parameters in place, Dr. B is here to help. For help with home setup and sensible rules, you’ll love our GKIS Connected Family Course. For tech tool tips and referrals, our GKIS Screen Safety Toolkit is the course you need. If online courses are still new to you or you just can’t find the time to take one, Dr. B also offers one-to-one coaching for effortless implementation. At the click of a button, she can set up a video or phone call to help you get started. You’re not in this alone anymore. GKIS and Dr B are here to help.

Child-Friendly YouTube Influencers Your Whole Family Can Enjoy

Baking on YouTube

Like the Food Network, a large food-focused community on YouTube has become popular. One popular creator in this community is YouTuber Rosanna Pansino, a creator known for her baking videos. With over 11 million subscribers, Rosanna has the largest baking channel on YouTube and rose to fame with her recipes for making baked goods with various themes based on pop culture. Rosanna has a charming, energetic, and bubbly personality, and provides detailed instructions for her videos. Her content is classified as safe for children and teens. She does not use inappropriate language and is transparent about advertised products that sponsor her content.

 Beauty on YouTube

In the beauty community, makeup artist Tati Westbrook is well known for her makeup looks and makeup reviews. Westbrook’s channel, with over 9 million subscribers, publishes videos mainly reviewing various makeup brands and products. Tati has a calm, soft personality and gives detailed and honest reviews and recommendations on the products she discusses. Tati makes sure to put disclaimers in her videos if a personal bias is present in reviews to be as transparent as she can to her viewers. Her content is suggested for older viewers, as there may occasionally be language and topics not suited for young children. Westbrook does promote her personal brand of beauty and wellness products on her channel.

Education through YouTube

In the educational community, the YouTube channel Crash Course, with over 10 million subscribers, has been used by students and teachers as an educational aid to learning different academic subjects. This channel, created by brothers John and Hank Green, produces videos covering various topics in subjects such as math, science, history, psychology, chemistry, and more. Videos are designed to be entertaining and educational and to help new learners better understand the subjects covered. Due to the topics they cover, some of the videos could discuss sexual or violent information not suitable for all ages.

Sports and Humor

YouTube team Dude Perfect, with almost 50 million subscribers, are best known for trick shot videos, or videos where they attempt challenging sports moves that require significant skill and luck to achieve. We at GKIS love how they inspire children to go play outside to reproduce incredible sports tricks of their own. We didn’t see evidence of inappropriate language, and they appear to disclose which of their videos are sponsored.

Gaming and Education

The Game Theorists YouTube channel is unique for creating content discussing different video game theories using research and reasoning. The creator of this channel, who goes by MatPat, has gained over 12 million subscribers by discussing his video game theories using humorous narrations, quality graphics, and his energetic and animated personality. Many of the games covered are popular among kids, such as Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Pokémon, and Super Mario Brothers. This creator does occasionally use offensive language. Also, some of the games covered by this channel may have violent and frightening plots not suitable for children. This channel appears to disclose which content is sponsored.

Wilderness Survival on YouTube

YouTube channel Primitive Technology produces videos on how to build in nature for survival without utilizing modern technology. This channel, with over 10 million subscribers, is unique in the sense that it does not provide verbal narration. All instructions and commentary are provided in the closed captions of the video. The videos on this channel are characterized by still frames showing the environment around the creator, with audio of calm nature sounds. The closed captions give detailed descriptions of the materials used, such as the different plant species shown in videos, and give easy instructions for how to build the materials shown. Given that there is no narration in these videos, there is no explicit language or content on this channel. There are currently no identified sponsors, only advertisements for the creator’s book shown after videos.

Dr. Bennett’s Current Fav YouTube Channel

When I presented my idea for this article to our GKIS intern team, Dr. Bennett raved about her current favorite YouTube channel Liziqi. With over 8.96 million subscribers, this 29-year-old Chinese YouTube celebrity is known for creating fascinating food and handicraft preparation videos. Beautifully shot to soothing music, incredibly hardworking and talented Liziqi can be viewed wandering gracefully through the forests and countryside of Pingwu, Mianyang, Sichuan planting and harvesting corn, rice, and cotton (among other things), making handicrafts like colorful weaved clothing and baskets, and creating expertly staged traditional Chinese food. Once you get started watching, it’s easy to be mesmerized.

Although we are excited to share our awesome child-friendly YouTube finds, many of these creators have hours of videos that we did not sample. Please watch and decide for yourself the appropriateness of the creators on this list for your unique child.

How Can You Select and Curate Content for Your Child?

To further protect your child against harmful videos, especially for young children, consider downloading the YouTube Kids app. This version of YouTube was created to show the most family-friendly content offered on YouTube [i]. The app allows parents to have more control over what kind of videos they want to be suggested to their child and gives more options to block certain videos, creators, turn off the search options, and more to protect your child from inappropriate content [1].

If you decide to continue using the regular YouTube app, there are certain settings that can help protect your child from harmful content. In YouTube’s settings, there is a “Restricted Mode” option, which helps hide inappropriate content flagged by users [2]. You can also turn off the “Search” option for YouTube so your child cannot search for inappropriate videos, and can only view content suggested to them or posted by creators they have subscribed to.

With a little time, cooperation, and creativity, you too can explore and discover family-friendly YouTube channels to share. While there are good reasons to be vigilant of the dangers of YouTube, it’s important to remember the positive aspects too.

Thanks to Alexandra Rosas-Ruiz for her research and help with writing this article. Along with the creators listed above, there are many new creators and communities rising to fame on YouTube. Want to know what makes them so popular? Check out GKIS article, “Why Are YouTube Celebrities So Popular?”

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Works Cited

[1] (2020) Important information for grownups about YouTube Kids https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130561?hl=en

[2] (2018) Parental Control Guide: How to restrict kid’s YouTube Settings https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/parental-control-guide-restrict-kids-youtube-settings/story?id=52135658

Photo Credits:

By Michael Morse from Pexels

By Walt Disney Television on Flickr

By Gage Skidmore on Flickr

By Campus Party Brasil on Flickr

By Brandon Montrone from Pexels

Repetitive Strain and Distraction Injuries from Screen Use 

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It seems everybody is on their screens all of the time. Whether you’re working on your computer or your kids are texting and walking back from school, screen use can take an unexpected toll on your body. Find out about “text neck” and what you can do to avoid damaging and even dangerous distractions and repetitive use injuries.  

What is a repetitive strain injury?

According to the CDC, device use has contributed to a 10% increase in unintentional child injuries.[1] Overuse or repetitive strain injuries (RTI) refers to bodily injuries that result from reduced blood flow to the muscles, bones, and ligaments as a result of poor posture or repeated movement.[2] For kids, repetitive strain injuries can occur from repeated movements typical in sports play, video controller use, or from repeatedly swiping or texting on smartphones and from excessive screen use.

Preventable Repetitive Strain and Misuse Injuries

Tendonitis

Repetitive strain injuries from excessive screen use include tendonitis in the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand and back or neck strain.

Ocular Migraines

Migraine headaches, particularly ocular migraines, are also becoming increasingly common due to excessive screen use. Symptoms of ocular migraines include visual disturbances like temporary vision loss, blind spots, auras, flashing lights or seeing stars, and zigzag lines.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus refers to a hissing, buzzing, whistling, roaring, or ringing in the ears that result from exposure to excessive and loud noises. Not only can the tiny hairs in the inner ear be damaged by loud and excessive noises, but they can also occur due to aging, sudden impact noises, middle ear infections, stress, negative side effects from medications, neck or head injuries, and other untreated medical conditions. Currently, tinnitus is incurable, but symptoms can be relieved with techniques like sound therapy (listening to specially selected distracting sounds).

Postural Injuries 

A postural injury refers to injuries that result from accumulated pressure due to poor posture while sitting, using your computer, driving, wearing high heels, or standing. If you’re not using good posture your bones don’t properly align and your muscles, joints, and ligaments can’t work as they are designed to.  

The most common postural injuries include

  • lower back pain 
  • neck pain 
  • shoulder impingement 
  • knee pain 
  • carpal tunnel syndrome (numbness, tingling, and weakness in your hand and arm due to nerve impingement in your wrist) 
  • piriformis syndrome (pain that radiates down the back of the legs when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve when sitting or crossing your legs)[3] 

Text Neck  

Another common type of postural injury among kids and teens is text neck. Text neck refers to premature degeneration and malformation of the neck and spine caused by looking down at the screen for texting.

In the past, these types of injuries were only seen among aging dentists and welders. Now physicians are seeing these injuries in teens.

Hanging your head at a sixty-degree angle while texting places sixty pounds of force on the neck. This is far beyond the ten pounds of force your neck is designed to support when your head is in the neutral position.  

Kyphosis

Poor texting posture can be particularly problematic for young users whose spines are still developing and could lead to arthritic changes in the spine, bone spurs, or muscle deformities. Research findings indicated that kyphosis, which refers to an S-curve of the spine or rounded back, can be caused by the loosening of ligaments in the spine aggravated by screen use.  

Prevention 

Instead of taking away the screen device or video controller altogether, simply implement healthy screen practices in your family.  

Here are some great injury prevention ideas 

  • Balance off-screen and on-screen activities.
  • Download an app, use parental controls like those we offer in our Screen Safety Toolkit, or provide a simple kitchen timer for time limit compliance and body-healthy rest and stretch breaks. Suggested break times are fifteen-minute for every forty-five minutes of play.  
  • Encourage your kids to refocus their eyes for twenty seconds after every twenty minutes of screen time 
  • Set up kids’ yoga, which helps with strength, stabilization, balance, and range of motion. Plus, kids learn more about their physiology and how to optimize healthy posture and avoid painful injuries. We recommend watching Youtuber Alo Yoga’s video “Yoga for Kids with Alissa Kepas.” 
  • Implement ergonomics, the study of people, and their efficiency when interacting in different environments. The primary goal of ergonomics is to arrange a workplace so that it fits the individual working there.

    Ergonomic computer setups include: 

    • Eyes leveled with the top of the screen 
    • Head and neck balanced and in line with the torso 
    • Shoulders relaxed 
    • Elbows supported and close to the body
    • Wrists and hands in-line with forearms 
    • Feet flat on the floor 
    • Overhead lighting dim to prevent glare  

Curious to learn more helpful tips on RTI prevention? More information can be found in Dr. Bennett’s book, Screen Time in the Mean Time.  

Distraction Injuries 

We’ve all seen this form of injury in headlines about car accidents due to texting while driving. We’ve even had a laugh at trips and falls while texting in programs such as America’s Homes Funniest Videos where a person may trip and fall while texting. A distraction injury is an injury resulting from one’s attention being taken by screen use (texting, viewing, talking, or video conferencing).

While Walking  

On CBS News you can find an article where a woman was texting and so distracted, she fell into a mall fountain.4 Or maybe you saw the viral video of a guy who literally ran into a bear while walking and staring into his phone. The Internet is alive with videos of injuries that have resulted from distracted walking or bicycle riding. The possibility of bringing harm to yourself has become such an issue that New Jersey has proposed a ban on walking and texting.5 Remind your child that there is a time and place to be sure you are being extra cautious towards your surroundings, such as walking in the streets. 

While Driving 

Distracted driving accounts for 60% of all teen accidents.6 Teens are more reliant on their phones and lack experience behind the wheel. According to CNN Health, texting is the most distracting form of device use and has been proven to limit the number of times an individual will look up and look both ways before crossing.7

The CDC Youth Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) reports that 39.2% of teens will use devices while driving.8 While you may assume that your teen knows better, it’s always a smart choice to play it safe. This can be as easy as putting devices out of sight while driving or adopting helpful tech.  

Tech Tools That Can Help  

Use the “Do Not Disturb” mode on their smartphone to ensure safety practices when you’re not around. 

On iPhones: 

  1. Go to settings
  2. At the very top, there will be a search bar, type “driving” 
  3. Press “Do Not Disturb While Driving” 
  4. Activate the Feature at the bottom 

If your phone doesn’t already have the Do Not Disturb feature, the following are GKIS-approved apps that can assist in distracting free driving!9

  1. The AT&T Drive Mode App silences incoming alerts and calls. The application automatically activates once you’ve reached a speed of 15 mph or higher. If you’re concerned about not calling your kid and being left on voicemail with no notice, the app has customizable automatic responses that will let the parent know they are driving and will answer them afterward.  
  1. The OMW (On My Way) app works similarly to the AT&T app, but rather than activating at 15 mph it starts at 10 and higher. Aside from this you could earn points and win discounts for being a safe driver. 
  2. The Safe 2 Save app also allows you to earn points for being a safe driver by giving discounts to local businesses. The app also encourages users to include pictures of loved ones as a reminder of who they’re driving safely for.  

Think you’ll need a helping hand in implementing all these tips? Contact our screen safety expert and founder of GKIS Dr. Tracy Bennett for a telehealth coaching session to discuss specific outside-the-box screen safety tips! In a quick, fun, and customized family workshop, you’ll feel more at ease knowing you have the tools to continue to have important safety conversations with your kids. 

  Special thanks to Aroni Garcia for researching and co-writing this article. If you liked the article, you’re interested in learning more tips on how to manage device time to avoid distracted driving and repetitive tech use, look at What Age Should We Allow Smartphones? 

Onward to More Awesome Parenting, 

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe

Photo Credits  

  1. Photo by stevepb on Pixabay 
  2. Photo by WolfBlur on Pixabay 
  3. Photo by StockSnap on Pixabay 
  4. Photo by Aroni Garcia 
  5. Photo by TerriAnneAllen on Pixabay 

Works Cited 

[1] Novotney, A. (2016). APA: Smartphone=not-so-smart parenting? Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/02/smartphone

[2] Nemours. (2019). Overuse Injuries. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/rsi.html 

[3] OsteopathyCare (2020). Postural Injuries. Retrieved from https://www.osteopathycare.co.uk/postural-injuries/

[4] CBS. (2011). CBS News: Texting While Walking, Woman Falls into Fountain. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texting-while-walking-woman-falls-into-fountain/ 

[5] Safety Team. (2019). Distracted Walking a Major Pedestrian Safety Concern. Retrieved from https://www.safety.com/distracted-walking-a-major-pedestrian-safety-concern/ 

[6] Yin, S. (2019). PBS WWHY: How to keep teen drivers’ eyes on the road, and their fingers off the keyboard. Retrieved from https://whyy.org/articles/how-to-keep-teen-drivers-eyes-on-the-road-and-their-fingers-off-the-keyboard/ 

[7] Picheta, R. (2020). CNN Health: Texting more dangerous for pedestrians than listening to music or speaking on the phone. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/health/texting-pedestrian-safety-study-wellness-scli-intl/index.html 

[8] Santa Maria Times (2020). The states with the most (and least) teens texting and driving. Retrieved from https://santamariatimes.com/lifestyles/parenting/the-states-with-the-most-and-least-teens-texting-and/article_d8497507-6472-555a-8288-dd938fc0b02b.html 

At-Home Indoor and Outdoor Fun Activity Ideas From GetKidsInternetSafe

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We at GetKidsInternetSafe love fun, educational, and safe screen time. But even better than that? We love creative offscreen play activities that help family members get to know and bond with each other, teach initiative and problem solving, and make forever memories. Sometimes great ideas are hard to dream up on-the-run with busy families. Enjoy these fun at-home indoors or outdoors activities that we at GKIS are sure your kids will love!

Indoor Fun

Let Your Kid be the Media Star

  • Record your kid as their favorite video star doing fun activities
  • Create an old movie recorder from cardboard boxes and black paint, don’t forget the director’s board so you or your kids get to yell “cut!”
  • If your kids like do it yourself videos, set up a station and let them surprise you with the results
  • If your child wants to be a movie star, let their imagination run wild and have them do small skits of their favorite scenes
  • Share videos with friends and family and have them comment and let them “like” the videos as fans
  • Don’t forget to follow up on their roles and nominate them in their own awards show for a later idea.
  • A thank you speech from your kid is highly encouraged

Up-Cycle Old Games

  • Give your old board games new meaning by breaking them apart and making a new game
  • Create cards with inside jokes that only friends and family will know
  • Use a Jenga game and tape truth or dares to pull out for twice the amount of fun
  • Create fun Loteria cards! Customize cards to make up members of your family such as the overprotective father or the daughter who says “like” in every sentence
  • Update trivia games and have your kids teach you a thing or two about new pop culture words and celebrities
  • Need Inspiration? A blogpost by Claire Harmeyer demonstrates how games are currently being reused with an old Guess Who game!

At Home Art Gallery

  • Let your child show their artistic creativity in a variety of ways by hosting an art gallery!
  • Remember that there are various forms of creating art, encourage them to complete at least three different “sections” to their gallery which may include the following:
    • The painting room
    • Play-dough or moon sand sculptures room
    • Origami room
    • The Barbie fashion showcase room
    • Photography room
    • The popsicle architecture room
    • Live art with temporary tattoos or a henna kit
    • Food art room
  • As the art critique, give reassuring feedback to encourage their creativity

Home Lab

Have your kids play mad scientist with some of these fun science creations

  • Follow scientist Joe and create a storm in a glass. 
    • You’ll need: shaving cream, large glass, water food coloring, and a spoon
  • Help your kids create a baking soda volcano by following Science Bob’s easy steps
    • Something to put the liquids in, baking soda, liquid dish soap, food coloring, water, vinegar
  • Create a tornado in a bottle by looking at the young Youtuber Ryan lay out the steps with his dad
    • You’ll need: 2-liter soda bottles (same shape), duct tape or connector, water, lamp oil (any color)
  • Make a sundial and practice reading times 
    • You’ll need: Stones, a pencil, and a piece of clay

Outdoor Fun

Backyard Scavenger Hunt

  • Set up an imaginary scenario that will fit your child’s interests whether that be finding a treasure chest to a vial that will cure the zombie apocalypse
  • Entice your child: add something of interest to their treasure 
  • Set up a list of instructions that may include:
    • Riddles 
    • Math problems
    • Guessing an image outline
    • Word association games
    • DIY puzzles
    • Connect the dots images
    • Phone a Friend! (have them call a loved one for their next clue)
  • Create steps such as stacking stones or doing cartwheels to unlock the next set of instructions
  • If you’d like to play along, act as a helping hand and create a character that will help them 

Balcony Garden

  • For those in apartments, set up a small garden for your child if you have a balcony available.
  • Be sure everything is easily accessible so that there is no need for leaning or climbing on the railing
  • Consider easy to maintain plants such as succulents 
  • Customize pots with markers/paint or give them name tags to personalize
  • Make paper insects like butterflies and prop them into the plants for decoration
  • Use stick skewers for food or popsicle sticks to glue to your paper insects and stick them into the edge of the pots 
  • Color skewers green to act as plant stems
  • Set up Christmas lights around the balcony so your child can admire their plant friends at night

Home Triathlon

    • Set up a backyard triathlon using whatever sports equipment you have or can make.
    • The idea is to do each obstacle non-stop until they reach the finish line
    • Get creative and work with what you have!
    • Ideas for challenges include:
  • Pitch up a tarp/sheet and have your kid’s army crawl under
  • Draw a challenging hopscotch segment
  • Set a designated amount of hula hoops swirls
  • Have two volunteers be ready with a double dutch jump rope obstacle
  • How low can you limbo station
  • Basketball into a hoop
  • Making a soccer ball into a goal that’s
  • guarded
  • Jumping jacks
  • Backward walking
  • Set up a finish line using items such as ribbon or even tied up rags

Outside Movie Nights

  • Pull up some chairs, snacks, and whatever else you’ll need to be comfortable
  • If you have a projector get a flat white surface to hang to a wall 
    • If you’re trying this on a balcony, prop the backdrop on the sliding door
  • No projector? No worries, this idea will work fine with a device that’s big enough for you and your kids to see
  • Watch your favorite films under the night sky
  • Or make your own movie story
    • Grab a flashlight and have the family show their storytelling skills.
    • Give the group a movie genre they can work with
    • In a bowl you can add random folded words they will need to incorporate into their story
    • Set a timer that works for everyone
    • Deem the new storytelling king or queen of the night
    • The newest king or queen will get to be the judge for the next game
  • Added bonus! Stargazing till your kids are pooped and ready for bed
    • Wrap-up: These stars have a story, share a one constellation story and have them excited for the next one


Special thanks to Aroni Garcia for researching and co-writing this article. If you liked these fun tips and want to stay updated on new fun ways to keep your kids entertained follow GKIS on social media! Follow our @GetKidsInternetSafe Instagram and Facebook pages and @drtracybennett Twitter for our latest posts! And, as always, thanks for sharing us with friends and family. Cheers to happy memory making!

 

 

Onward to More Awesome Parenting, 

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe

Work Cited

[1] Haymeyer, C. (2020).”You can buy Friends-themed Guess Who-so could game night be any better?” Retrieved from https://hellogiggles.com/news/friends-guess-who-game/

[2] SFFE. (2017). “Storm in a Glass”. Retrieved from http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/storm-in-a-glass/

[3] ScienceBob. (2008).“Make an Erupting Volcano with Science Bob”. [Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNz4DyUOsAw

[4] Ryan’sWorld. (2019). “Ryan create Tornado in the bottle science experiments for Kids!!!”. [Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21joF6lt0aY

[5] Yeats, W. (2010). “Otherwise Educating: Sundial”. Retrieved from http://otherwiseeducating.blogspot.com/2010/12/sundial.html

Photo Credits

  1. Photo by Bob_Dmyt on Pixabay
  2. Photo by ponce_photography on Pixabay
  3. Photo by StockSnap on Pixabay
  4. Photo by finelightarts on Pixabay
  5. Photo by Vladvictoria on Pixabay
  6. Photo by Pexels on Pixabay
  7. Photo by ROverhate on Pixabay
  8. Photo by 12019 on Pixabay
  9. Photo by dbreen on Pixabay

#TogetherAtHome Family-Friendly Activity Ideas

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I just finished a webinar I offered for moms to support them during our stay-at-home order. In the audience, we had a mom who was seven-months pregnant with a three-year-old as well as moms with school-age kids and teens. During these challenging times, all have unique situations. Some of us are working full-time and struggling to find a free moment, while others are bored and working to find fun and purpose. Some of our kids are best friends, while others can’t seem to get along ever. Some kids are jetting through easy schoolwork while others can’t seem to get anything done. How are you doing? Are you making amazing memories with your time together or struggling to make things happen? Today’s article is about recognizing that the love is in the daily details, but it may take some special effort to notice.

“Seeing” by Annie Dillard from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Harper Perennial 1974)

When I was six or seven years old, growing up in Pittsburgh, I used to take a precious penny of my own and hide it for someone else to find. It was a curious compulsion; sadly, I’ve never been seized by it since. For some reason, I always “hid” the penny along the same stretch of sidewalk up the street. I would cradle it at the roots of a sycamore, say, or in a hole left by a chipped-off piece of sidewalk. Then I would take a piece of chalk, and, starting at either end of the block, draw huge arrows leading up to the penny from both directions. After I learned to write I labeled the arrows: SURPRISE AHEAD or MONEY THIS WAY. I was greatly excited, during all this arrow-drawing, at the thought of the first lucky passer-by who would receive in this way, regardless of merit, a free gift from the universe. But I never lurked about. I would go straight home and not give the matter another thought, until, some months later, I would be gripped again by the impulse to hide another penny.

It is still the first week in January, and I’ve got great plans. I’ve been thinking about seeing. There are lots of things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But—and this is the point—who gets excited by a mere penny? If you follow one arrow if you crouch motionless on a bank to watch a tremulous ripple thrill on the water and are rewarded by the sight of a muskrat kid paddling from its den, will you count that sight a chip of copper only, and go your rueful way? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won’t stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get.

I love this passage because it captures so much about childhood joy. Like the puppy-dog-tails and sugar-and-spice nursery rhyme, childhood joy is a magic blending of anticipation, preparation, and imagination. Children build their magic worlds by keeping their eyes open for real-world discovery. And when they find something new and delightful, they turn to those around them to share in their excitement. For young children, this is a ladybug on a blade of grass; and for older kids, this is a giggling walk with friends to get ice cream. Parents can be a part of this magical discovery, or they can be washing dishes. It’s really up to us to be present.

But here’s the thing, we don’t have to entertain our kids 24/7. Contrary to popular parenting lore, our job is not to make our prodigy happy all of the time. Our job is to offer a safe and enriching place in love and guidance, helping them build resiliency skills so they can feel their worth and practice their capabilities. Sometimes that means we are by their sides, and sometimes that means we offer a crafted setting of endless possibilities.

To teach them how to recognize those endless possibilities, we first have to create the framework for meaningful magic and create the lens for them to see through. And I’m telling you now, memory-making family events don’t have to take place in a faraway destination or during a $5000 planned vacation. Magical, meaningful moments worthy of memories don’t cost dollars….they cost pennies. They’re like shiny pennies cradled in the roots of a Sycamore or left by a chipped-off piece of sidewalk. They are gathered in tiny moments of discovery and shared joy. To find them, we just have to have our eyes, and our hearts, open.

VIRTUAL SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITY IDEAS

Take a virtual travel vacation.

  • Create a passport for the virtual trips you will take.
  • Research the things to do once you get there.
  • Visit those places on Google Earth.
  • After the trip your child can draw a picture of something from the trip as a passport stamp.
  • Create a collage of the virtual places you visit.

Create family businesses and then end with a trade show.

  • Decide on your idea and write a mission statement.
  • Design your logo (fun ideas are to look on https://www.fiverr.com/ or https://99designs.com where people hire logo designers online). Pick your brand colors (https://coolors.co is a fun site for that)
  • Design a website (you can design for free for a limited time on https://www.squarespace.com)
  • Pick free stock images for your site or take them on your own (we love https://unsplash.com)
  • Create a budget
  • Source and buy materials for your product
  • Manufacture your product
  • Create flyers and business cards
  • Design and film a TV commercial (don’t forget to hire your celebrities and learn your marketing)
  • Create a sales convention where you each have a sales table where you hawk your wares (you can take turns as founders and customers or recruit family members and friends as customers)
  • Find brand partners
  • Create your store
  • Have a trade show where you buy each other’s wares and services with a budget and fake money you set up ahead of time.

Set up a restaurant in your home.

  • Plan the menu
  • Prepare the food
  • Dress up like chefs and waiters
  • Serve your family guests just as they’d be served in a restaurant (menu, orders, bill payment).

For more ideas to create fun family fun, follow our daily #TogetherAtHome idea posts on the GetKidsIternetSafe Instagram page! To help you out during challenging times, here is a list of linked resources to help you make magic family memory moments while you’re #TogetherAtHome.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Easy Peasy and Fun

From their website: “Ready for a fantastic crafting session with your kids or students? We have a ton of engaging art and craft for kids to make and you’ll find ideas for all ages and for all occasions.”

https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/crafts-for-kids/

 

The Best Idea for Kids

From their website: “If you’re looking for easy and fun craft ideas for kids – you’ve definitely come to the right place! We’ve included our best and most popular crafts for kids on this page for you. Kids will love making these simple crafts – and the best part is the preparation for you will always be easy too!”

https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/craft-ideas-for-kids/

 

EDUCATIONAL/FUN RESOURCES

California Science Center

Stuck at home science

https://californiasciencecenter.org/stuck-at-home-science

 

Kidspace At Home: Virtual learning and play 

From their website: “Kidspace may be temporarily closed, but curiosity never ceases. Keep the learning going at home with Kidspace curated programming and resources developed to spark connection, creativity, laughter, and inspiration. Join the Kidspace-At-Home journey bringing hands-on joyful learning experiences to families every day. Scroll to the bottom to learn how you can help support our efforts and keep Kidspace strong!”

www.kidspacemuseum.org/events/home-learning-resources

 

Lakeshore Learning

From their website: “More than 1,000 Free Resources – Bring learning home with printable worksheets, writing prompts, and more.”

The link includes learning at home YouTube video channel for Preschool–Gr. 5.

https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/

 

EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS AND PODCASTS

An article reviewing podcasts for children

Since every parent is now a teacher, here is an article that identifies 26 podcasts for children in elementary, middle and high school

https://www.weareteachers.com/best-podcasts-for-kids/

 

Brains On! 

From their website: “An award-winning audio show for kids and families. Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world. Our mission is to encourage kids’ natural curiosity and wonder using science and history…but there’s no age limit on curiosity, and episodes of Brains On can be enjoyed by anyone.”

https://www.brainson.org/

 

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

From their website: “But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world. Have a question? Send it to us!”

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/474377890/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids

 

More Podcast identified by iheart.com for kids and families

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/category/kids-family-98/

 

Ted Talks for Kids

Fun, informative and captivating talks to inspire young minds.

https://www.ted.com/playlists/86/talks_to_watch_with_kids

 

INTERACTIVE/ANIMATED READING EXPERIENCES

Animated books 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY

 

and Good Night Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbKoviP0fTQ

 

Good Night with Dolly 

From their website: “Goodnight With Dolly” will feature Dolly Parton reading a series of Imagination Library books all carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time.”

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0MpwxxTbrBOz1g1X-BynUA

 

ebooks

From their website: “Looking eBooks for your kids? We have the best collection of free animated eBooks will undoubtedly stimulate your child’s mind, studies and learning pattern. Find these very interesting carefully made free eBooks for kids. These online eBooks touch various subjects and promise to make your child’s learning experience richer. Read and download your favorite eBooks for free.”

https://www..kidsworldfun.com/ebooks.php

 

INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES

ABCMouse

From their website: “Full online curriculum ages 2-8. 10 levels. More than 850 Lessons Across 10 Levels. The Step-by-Step Learning Path presents the full ABCmouse.com curriculum in a carefully designed program of more than 850 lessons in ten levels. As your child completes each lesson, he or she is guided to the next one and is motivated to continue learning by ABCmouse.com‘s Tickets and Rewards System.”

30 days free trial

https://www.abcmouse.com/

 

Brainpop

https://www.brainpop.com

 

Adventure Academy 

First 30 days free

https://www.adventureacademy.com/

 

Jumpstart 

Educational Online games and resources

https://www.jumpstart.com/

 

RECIPES FOR KIDS

Allrecipes for Kids

Lots of kid’s recipes including a recipe for a Mac & Cheese in a Cheese Waffle Cone on this site

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/453/everyday-cooking/family-friendly/kid-friendly/

 

Food Network 

Recipes for kids

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/recipes-for-kids/cooking-with-kids/recipes-kids-can-make

 

Raddish

From their website: “Nurturing kids’ confidence in the kitchen and beyond. Browse our free delicious activities.”

https://www.raddishkids.com/?msclkid=eccf57b743d1114567830930babb48ee

 

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES AND LEARNING

Aquarium of the Pacific

From their web site: “The Aquarium of the Pacific is currently closed. During this time, we will be offering a variety of live and on-demand programming for our community..”

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/

 

Bronx Zoo

Virtual Classroom, Videos and web cams of various animals

https://bronxzoo.com/virtual-zoo

 

Exploratorium

From their website: “The Exploratorium isn’t just a museum; it’s an ongoing exploration of science, art, and human perception. Explore our vast collection of online experiences to feed your curiosity and education resources supporting online teaching and learning.”

https://www.exploratorium.edu/

 

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum 

The tar pits and educational resources

https://tarpits.org/

 

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

From their web site: “Free enriching and inspiring content for you to Watch, Listen, Learn, Read, and Browse at home.”

https://www.lacma.org/

 

LA Philharmonic 

Musicians, concerts, videos by LA Phil members

https://www.laphil.com/about/watch-and-listen

 

Los Angeles Zoo

From their website: “Bring the Zoo to You. During our closure, we’ll continue to share cool views of the Zoo, our animal residents, and our dedicated keepers to keep you informed, engaged, and connected while social distancing.”

https://www.lazoo.org/

 

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Webcams, activities, videos

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

 

Museum of Contemporary Art

From their website: “MOCA Education makes education more collaborative, inclusive, and learner-centered, and nurtures intellectual growth through transformative experiences with contemporary art. Join our team of MOCA educators as they lead different family-friendly activities through interactive workshops, virtual Talking Tours, and classroom curriculum discussions. It is fun for all and particularly helpful for homeschooling!”

https://www.moca.org/

 

San Diego Zoo 

Videos and web cams of various animals

https://www.sdzsafaripark.org/

 

ARTICLES/REFERENCE LINKS AND WEBSITES

Fun and Free educational websites for kids’ article with links

https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-free-educational-websites-for-kids-3129084

 

Game night apps and online games 

Technological ideas for all ages

https://ktla.com/morning-news/technology/

 

LA Parent magazine

Virtual events, recipes, parenting suggestions, health and wellness, etc.

https://www.laparent.com/

 

Parents magazine

Parent resource with online articles

https://www.parents.com/

 

Magazine Subscriptions for Children (not free)

Award-winning, children’s magazine titles. No coupon or promo codes are needed to receive 50% discounts (see link below)

BabyBug Magazine Ages 6 months – 3

Ladybug Magazine Ages 3-6

Ask Magazine: Ages 6-9

Cricket Magazine Ages 9-14

Muse Magazine Ages 9-14

 

http://shop.cricketmedia.com/Cricket-Magazine-Discount-Offer.html

 

Other Magazine Titles for Children (just to name a few and not free)

Boys Life

Click

Highlights

Humpty Dumpty

Ranger Rick

National Geographic Kids

Spider

Zoobooks

Join each Tuesday and Thursday, beginning April 9, at 3pm ET for Magination Press Story Time, https://www.facebook.com/MaginationPressAPA/?fref=mentions&__tn__=KH-R

Live storytime events aimed at providing children with emotional support tools to help them cope with anxiety and stress in an entertaining, engaging way. In the first installment, Leah Bowen reads A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers, co-authored with Holly Brochmann, to help children identify a worry and where it might come from, as well as provide them with helpful tools to reduce and cope with worries.

IDEA COLLECTIONS

10 Free Learning Websites for Kids

150+ EDUCATIONAL SHOWS ON NETFLIX

50 PLUS EASY INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

25 EASIEST LOW PREP OBSTACLE COURSES FOR KIDS

Thanks for being amazing. Stay safe and keep collecting those shiny penny moments!

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

 

Photo Credits

Photo by James Besser on Unsplash

Photo by Amy Humphries on Unsplash

Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash

How to Stay Calm and Practice Psychological Wellness During the COVID-19 Scare

by

We are all under one of a variety of different directives due to COVID-19. The news is full of videos of people wearing masks and gloves and others panic buying at grocery stores. At a time when we need our wits about us, we feel overwhelmed and anxious. Our fight, flight, freeze, or fold responses are on hair-trigger standby. We are all freaked out and definitely all in this together.

That’s where psychology comes in. Our anxiety is guiding the ship and clogging the pipes when it comes to concentration and problem-solving. How we respond to this threat will make all the difference for how we feel for the next coming weeks.

For today’s GKIS article, I’m going to focus on YOU, helping you recognize where you’re at in regard to mental health and how to bring yourself down a notch. After all, the people around you are syncing with your heart rate and mood. If you are calm, they too will settle in better for the long stay-at-home haul. So let’s start with how you’re feeling right now . . .

If you’re like me and trying hard to keep busy, you may notice that intrusive, unwanted anxieties pierce your veil of concentration more often than you’re comfortable with. Maybe you are panic browsing the Internet or watching television for the most accurate and up-to-date news. Or you’re hitting the overstressed grocery stores to make sure you have two weeks’ worth of food just in case. Maybe you’re feeling irritable and angry and tempted to blame the politicians for underreacting or overreacting or annoyed with panic shoppers who once again bought up the last roll of toilet paper. Or maybe you’re pulling fighting kids apart and trying to figure out how to keep them busy so they’re not climbing the walls. However you’re coping, please know that a variety of stress responses are expected right now. Although uncomfortable, anxiety about COVID-19 is “normal” and “healthy.” Those feelings alert us that something new is underfoot, and it’s the right time to peek your head up from normal daily activities to make sure you’re equipped for whatever is coming your way.

Of course, not all responses are staying in the healthy coping category. Red flags that your moods or anxiety may be tipping into the “impaired” category include reduced or increased appetite, trouble sleeping, panic attacks, or excessive use of addictive substances to numb out like carbs, sugar, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.

Whether you’re a little bit anxious or a lotta bit anxious, here are some wellness and coping tips to help you through the COVID-19 crisis:

Wake up with an intention for independent psychological health.

That means facing the problems of the day with your thinking brain rather than your crisis-driven nervous system. My favorite tool for keeping my psychological stability is the 6-second exhale. Simply said, that means filling your belly with a deep cleansing breath and breathing out for 6 seconds. Repeat several more times with an easy breath and always a 6-second exhale. For extra calmness, imagine gathering up your stress with each breath and releasing it into the sky with each exhale.

Create best-coping language.

I’ve been speaking to a lot of clients this week about stress and fear. Rather than focusing on how scary and difficult things are right now, I focus on the language of empowerment. That means reminding people about how their safety measures are putting some control into their hands. Focusing on choice, smarts, strength, and love gets us into a far better place than focusing on vulnerability or fear.

Protect yourself from information overload.

Limit news to once in the morning and once in the evening and avoid constant COVID chatter amongst colleagues, friends, and family. A check-in is important but then change the subject. Endless conjecture about the what-ifs moves you too far away from empowerment.

Balance on-screen activities with off-screen activities.

Our brains need a variety of activities to stay healthy. To do this, stage your home for success. GKIS offers two great tools to help with this. First, use our GKIS Screen Safety Toolkit Course to implement tech tools that filter and manage technology. Second, implement out free digital contract (Connected Family Agreement) to avoid an exhausting and damaging habit of asking > pleading > yelling > threatening > fighting with your kids. A negotiated agreement saves you from all of that.  Third, create a block schedule with balanced activities in the work and play categories. Following a routine helps. And finally, if you need help getting your kids to get creative with healthy activities on- and off-screen without the fight, implement our Connected Family Course.

Schedule opportunities for connection.

Schedule a morning digital coffee hour with a chosen group of friends and family. Ask people to join you for a walk or a hike. Reach out to friends, family, and neighbors who may need help with grocery delivery or animal care. Schedule an evening digital happy hour with a chosen group of friends and family. Game night!

Remember, this is temporary, and we will get through it.

Stay in the moment and recognize this is a temporary time, not a permanent one. That will help you distance from the current fear and shelf your anxieties while you focus on other things throughout the day.

Exercise your mind with productive, creative activities.

Touch the earth. Dig into projects you’ve been putting off, whether it’s digitizing your photos, making sense of the DNA genealogy test you got for Christmas, or mending fences (literally and figuratively). Journal your feelings once a day with words or art. Feed your brain something delicious, like that novel you’ve been dying to get to or that craft or building project that sounded so fun (jewelry making, an owl box, trivets out of corks – whatever, Pintrest is your friend).

Exercise your body with nurturing, health-promoting activities.

Take a run. Incorporate meditative and yoga practice (we love the free NIKE Training app for all things fitness).

Sleep well.

Practice good sleep hygiene practices like setting your room up to be cozy for all the senses, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and practicing imagery to set yourself up for good dreams. (We love the apps Headspace or Calm for meditative and mindfulness practice).

Most of all, lower your expectations of yourself and others. Perfection is not the goal right now. Instead, set an intention to be good to yourself. Intentions allow you the slips without guilt and approximations for perfection without shame. It simply means that you commit to going in the direction of self-compassion right now and a lot of love and togetherness.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

More information and resources for managing anxiety and stress:

  • If you need some TLC and some real coping skills from an experienced clinical psychologist, schedule a telepsychology session with me at DrTracyBennett.com
  • If you’d like some great ideas about how to positively parent during this overwhelming time, schedule a coaching session with me at GetKidsInternetSafe.com.
  • NAMI (National Alliance for the mentally ill) is offering a “warmline,” a confidential, noncrisis emotional support telephone hotline staffed by peer volunteers who are in recovery at 800-950-NAMI (6264) and has a great list of COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

For more information about stress and coping check out these articles:

Photo credit:

Photo by Morteza Yousefi on Unsplash

Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

Photo by Austin Ban on Unsplash

Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash

The GKIS Sensible Parent’s Guide to Twitter

by

Twitter is a popular social media app that allows users to communicate with their peers through short “tweets” or posts. Many users post whatever is on their mind, what happened to them during the day or to reach out to their friends. Twitter has the potential for cyberbullying, communicating with strangers, sharing fake news, and viewing inappropriate content. This GKIS Sensible Guide provides the information parents need to know to be familiar with Twitter and make informed decisions on when and how to allow their children to use Twitter.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to communicate with others using short messages. Twitter messages are called “tweets” and may include text, photos, and videos. Many people use Twitter to follow and reach out to others and to post tweets that aim at becoming “viral.”

Many companies like Target, Starbucks, and fast-food restaurants have Twitter accounts and use them to advertise their products and reach customers. Twitter is also useful for customer service and reporting issues to companies. During highly political times, it is not uncommon to see politicians and their followers using Twitter to garner support and attack opposing opinions.

Twitter has produced many popular influencers. Katy Perry and Justin Bieber are the popular influencers for entertainment/celebrity. Elon Musk, inventor of Tesla, and Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, are the top influencers in the technology area. There are several other areas with influencers including The Frugal Traveler as a travel influencer, Jamie Oliver as a health influencer, and Atelier Dore as a fashion influencer.[1]

How long has Twitter been around and how popular is it?

Twitter was founded by Jack Dorsey and officially launched in July of 2006. It is based in San Francisco and has over 25 offices around the world. In a statistic published in February 2020, 56.2% of United States Twitter users were male.[2] There is a wide age range of users with the most common ages 25 to 34 and 55 to 64.[3] In 2019, 330 million monthly active users were reported.[4]

How old is old enough for adoption?

According to Twitter’s Terms of Service, a user “must be at least 13 years old to use the Services.” [5] This age is selected for compliance with the U.S.’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). However, in Dr. Bennett’s book Screen Time in the Mean Time, she recommends no social media app adoption until at least the second semester of sixth grade, when kids have more social experience for creative problem solving and are no longer transitioning into middle school. (If the seventh grade is a transition year in your community, she recommends waiting until spring semester for the introduction). Because every child has unique strengths and vulnerabilities, parents are well suited to make the best-informed decision for their family.

What is included in the personal profile?

To create a Twitter account, you will need to enter your name, phone number or email, and create a password. The name you enter does not have to be your real name. It can also be a nickname. You will be directed to set a profile photo that will be used as a thumbnail for all your tweets. A cover photo may also be uploaded and will appear at the top of your profile.

A profile also includes your birthday, including the year, and the month and year that you joined Twitter. It also displays the number of people who follow you and the number of people that you follow. The profile also has four tabs that include Tweets, Tweets & replies, Media, and Likes.

  • Tweets: Shows all tweets the user has posted or retweeted.
  • Tweets, retweets, & replies: Shows all tweets the user has posted or retweeted and any replies to tweets.
  • Media: Shows any photos, videos, or gifs the user has tweeted.
  • Likes: Shows all tweets the user has liked.

When clicking on a stranger’s profile, it will display if they are following you. It will also list everyone that follows them and that you follow. It also gives you an option to follow the user, turn on their notifications, send them a direct message, and mute, block, or report.

What are the privacy options?

When clicking on “Privacy and Safety” in your settings, Twitter gives you several options which include information on protecting your tweets, direct messages, discoverability and contacts, safety, and personalization and data.

  • Tweets
    • The Protect your Tweets option allows users to only show their tweets to those that follow them. This also requires users to approve their followers.
    • The location information option allows users to add their location to each of their tweets. Users also have the ability to delete all location information.
    • The photo tagging option allows users to block others from tagging them in photos.
  • Direct Messages
    • Users are able to block others from messaging them
    • Users are able to turn on or off their read receipts which notify the sender with the time they read their message.
  • Discoverability and Contacts
    • Users are able to allow people to find their accounts using their phone number or email address.
  • Safety
    • Users have the option of blocking media that may contain sensitive content
    • User can also mark the media they tweet as containing sensitive content
    • Users have the option of muting works or account
    • Users can block accounts which means they will no longer see the account and the account will no longer see their account
    • Users can change their notification settings or turn off notifications
  • Personalization and Data
    • Through these settings, users can control how Twitter personalizes content and collects and shares certain data
    • Users can block Twitter from sharing their data with business partners.

What are the risks for use?

Inappropriate Content

It is easy for users to stumble upon potentially inappropriate content for their age and/or fake news. If one user retweets or shares something potentially inappropriate, all their followers will see that post. The best way to prevent your child from viewing inappropriate content on their Twitter feed is to go through their privacy settings and make sure to block inappropriate accounts. Requiring your child to get approval before the following accounts is another way to prevent inappropriate content. Please note, however, that once on Twitter it is impossible to filter out all inappropriate content.

Cyberbullying

Twitter carries a major risk for cyberbullying due to the anonymous nature of the platform. Twitter users may use a fake name and photo in order to remain anonymous and then send harmful messages or leave harmful comments on others’ tweets. The best way to prevent cyberbullying is to have the Twitter profile set on private and only approve people who are known by the user.

Sub tweeting is another common form of cyberbullying that is found on the platform. Sub tweeting means posting a tweet about someone without specifically naming that person. Most subtweets are harmful and are used as a way to attack a person without having an explicit connection to that person. Once again, even with best efforts, it’s impossible to block all cyberbully behaviors once on the Twitter platform.

Communicating with Strangers

Users who have a public profile are able to be contacted by any Twitter user. This means that strangers of any age can message a user and send them text or photos. Predators have the ability to send messages to young users. A private Twitter account is the best way to prevent contact with strangers.

Distractibility & Constant Access

Twitter produces a wide variety of content which makes it easy to keep scrolling for hours. Users often start looking at one tweet which leads to others of similar content. The cycle can go on for hours. Also, consider how comfortable you are having your child’s friends have constant screen access with your child. Social media fills one’s digital inbox constantly, all-the-time.

GetKidsInternetSafe rates Twitter as a yellow-light app due to the easy access to strangers, inappropriate content, and the potential for cyberbullying. Twitter tries to block inappropriate content from being posted, but there are millions of users who post multiple times a day. If you do opt to allow Twitter, be sure and get your child’s username and password and monitor posts.

Thank you to CSUCI intern Makenzie Stancliff for co-authoring this article. For more information on keeping your child safe on social media, check out the Get Kids Internet Safe Screen Safety Toolkit. Be sure to add Twitter on to the free GKIS Connected Family Agreement as a “not yet.”

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Works Cited

[1] Meet The Top Twitter Influencers by Topic. (2018, February 20). Retrieved from https://izea.com/2018/02/20/influencers-on-twitter/

[2] Clement, J. (2020, February 18). U.S. Twitter user distribution by gender 2020. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/678794/united-states-twitter-gender-distribution/

[3] Clement, J. (2019, August 9). Twitter: U.S. user age distribution 2018. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/192703/age-distribution-of-users-on-twitter-in-the-united-states/

[4] Clement, J. (2019, August 14). Twitter: number of active users 2010-2019. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/282087/number-of-monthly-active-twitter-users/

[5] Twitter Terms of Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/en/tos

Photo Credits

Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

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