9 Tips for Teens to Use Tech Well
Year 6 to 12 students
Not all screentime is bad. Notice how you spend time onscreen and limit your endless scrolling.
Be a creator rather than a consumer. Create videos, write stories, learn new things from vodcasts or podcasts, chat with friends and family.
Avoid multitasking: when you are doing homework, turn off your phone.
Balance online with offline activities.
Make sure you get enough hours sleep. Charge your device in another room. You can always use an alarm clock to wake you in the morning.
Switch off all the defaults in apps, like video autoplay and notifications that might distract you when you’re in the middle of something.
Join and contribute to an online hobby group of your interest.
Create a technology use contract that makes sense for you and your family.
Most of all—take responsibility for your own engagement with digital media.
Source: Pew Research Center. 2018. Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018
Question: What would you do right now, if you were not reading this on a device?
Casper Pieters PhD Dip Ed is an author and educator who uses adventure narratives to enliven the ICT curriculum for young people. www.casperpieters.com
