Learn best practices for managing electronics and drafting a plan that you and your teen or tween can live with.
Tuesday March 1, 2022, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM PST
The online world can seem like the Pandora’s box of parenting: once our kids have access, they’re exposed to a host of dangers that we don’t feel equipped to protect them from.
It’s true that there are risks to adolescents’ physical and mental health from excessive screen time and social media use, but we also realize that young people need to learn to regulate themselves online and manage digital distractions. Ideally, kids would acquire these skills and practice them safely with our supervision, just as we might help them handle school work and learn to drive a car on their own.
Of course, social media and online gaming are always evolving. Most parents find it impractical to keep up with what kids are experiencing online, and just staying up-to-date on what experts recommend is a big commitment.
Decide what’s appropriate for your (pre-)teen right now
Get familiar with current tools for helping you manage your child’s use of electronics
Draft a screen time agreement that you can enforce and your teen/tween can live with
TESTIMONIALS from recent workshop participants
“This class gave me concrete strategies to improve my parenting skills... it has been transformative.” — Amy, Menlo Park, CA
“Offers a great blend of research-based techniques and opportunities to reflect and discuss experiences and strategies with fellow parents. Andy is a fantastic facilitator - thoughtful, empathetic, and very knowledgeable on this subject." — middle school parent, Redwood City, CA
“I think implementing these skills can break the cycle in our too-adversarial relationships.” — Mike, Palo Alto, CA
About the Presenter Andy Kitt
Andy Kitt taught History at Menlo School in Atherton, CA from 2004 to 2020, where he loved helping students flourish even as many showed signs of the nationwide increase in adolescent stress. Concerned about their well-being, he studied the societal problem as well as the life skills that can help teens thrive into adulthood. He spent over a decade creating programs for students in mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and cultivating a sense of purpose, informed by training at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, UPenn’s Character Lab, the Center for Nonviolent Communication, and the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network. Andy has also led professional development seminars on using EQ in the classroom, training for faculty advisors on managing group dynamics, and in 2019, workshops on high-EQ parenting. He is now a teen and parent coach at Village Coaches, a teen success coaching practice. Andy has two sons, a high school senior and a decidedly adolescent 6th grader.