How do we deal with trendy tech?

 

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Our latest Gooseberry Alert is now on the platform.  This one is all about Trendy Tech.  I was taking a Parent Workshop a couple of weeks ago and there was a big concern about the constant pressure to upgrade to  the latest phones  and the impact it has on children who have a standard phone, not a smart phone.  Unfortunately, some children are being bullied due to having an old-fashioned phone.
This is such a hard subject to tackle and I am not sure there is an answer. We want our children to be popular and sometimes give in to their desire to keep up with the brands, rather than teaching them how to responds to the taunts and brush it off.  Maybe we need to toughen up a little and not try and keep up with the Jones’s.   My eldest son lost his mobile  earlier this year.  I refused to buy him a new one and he had to live with an iPad for months, without the ability to text or call anyone.  It did teach him a lesson about taking care of valuable things.   We do seem to live in a bit of a culture of never saying “no”.  This isn’t just with technology but in other aspects of our lives too.  The more parents who just say “no”, the more solidarity there will be amongst those without the latest stuff.  Its important that our children learn the life lesson that even as adults we can’t have everything we would like, and often the objects of our desire are treasured more if we have had to work and save for them.  If children have to earn these privileges by doing chores, or saving up their pocket money, they will value them more and perhaps take greater care of them too.
Of course the other way we can help address thi s sort of problem is by making sure it is not our children who are doing the bullying.  We should talk to our children about what makes someone a good friend, or a good citizen and remind them that judging people on their possessions is a very shallow and poor basis for such a judgement.  Remind them that, if they are lucky enough to have the latest phone, they should feel fortunate and not use it to brag or belittle others.
We are still holding parent workshops webinars.  You will be pleased to know that parents are engaging
and joining the webinars.  We have another one in a few weeks’ time, so just copy and paste this link https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8461769308535695106 and share with all of your parents.
We also have had an amazing response to our Online Safety CPD, this is free of charge and anyone in your school can register.  Just click here
 

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