Whether you are thinking about Christmas shopping, lists for Santa, or getting ready to snap up a deal in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, this blog gives advice about giving tech gifts this Christmas.
Do your research
Many young people ask for the latest technology, devices, and games for Christmas, and there may be considerations for parents and carers to make before buying.
Understanding why your child wants a specific device, console, or game is a great starting point when deciding on what you’re buying. Is it because all of their friends play on one platform, and they don’t want to be left out? Is it because an influencer they follow has recommended it? Is it purely because it is the only one they have seen? Once you know why, you can make an informed decision and do further research.
It can be a great start to find out what other parents and carers are saying about the device or game that your child has asked for, and how other children and young people are using the device or game. Asking around in your circle or on the school run is bound to give you a range of opinions, too. Remember – just because your child says everyone has a certain piece of tech doesn’t mean that is necessarily true, and device preferences can differ among different peer groups.
Once you decide on the device, Common Sense Media has reviews of games, apps, and services from other parents and carers, and can help you decide if something is appropriate for your child.
Set up the device ahead of your child opening it
Getting a device can be an exciting time for young people, and it can often be a lot easier to set up parental controls, screen time limits, and other settings before you hand the device to your child, rather than when they are already excitedly using it.
By unboxing the device before you gift it, you can also ensure the device is fully charged up ready for your child use it.
If you are gifting a second-hand device to your child, you can make sure that the device has been reset to factory settings before you give it to your child. This means that any apps, settings, or data that is already on the device have been removed, and you can start with a blank slate.
By setting up the technology before you gift it, you can put in place some safety settings and parental controls to help you feel comfortable with your child using it.
Once you have settled on a device, have a look out for any parental controls you can put in place, and take a look at the privacy settings available.
Set up expectations ahead of time
A Family Agreement is a fantastic tool to help you establish boundaries and set expectations around your family’s device usage.
A Family Agreement can be updated as new devices are brought into the house, or when the way your family uses technology changes.
Updating an existing Family Agreement when your child receives their new device allows them to know where they can use it, how long for, and whether they need permission to download apps or make purchases.
Download and print the Childnet Family Agreement here.
Have conversations with the whole family
It is important that your child knows that if they encounter something online that they haven’t seen before, or something that worries or upsets them, they can turn to you for help.
Whilst we always recommend that parental controls are enabled, they can never be 100% guaranteed to block inappropriate content.
Therefore, it’s important to give practical safety tips to your child in the case of coming across unwanted content, whether that’s teaching them how to use report and block tools, or to turn the device off and speak to an adult they trust.
Often, children and young people can find opening up to an adult about things they’ve seen online daunting, so having regular check-ins with your child provides them with plenty of opportunities to talk things over.
Remember to be curious and not furious – if they know it isn’t their fault and you help them to overcome their issue, they’re likely to come back to you to speak about any future issues.
