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Technology plans for teenagers; How do I protect/prepare my child for the internet and social media now that he is growing up? After learning more about the dark side of technology, I was completely at a loss as to how to plan for the future. I jokingly told my husband that I wanted to live off the grid to protect our son. Are there resources that teach parents what to look for?
– Stephanie, Ashburn, VA
If you go off the grid, take me with you! Managing interactions with technology is hard enough for adults — keeping kids away from screens can be even harder.
Even if your child isn’t online, it’s never too early to research and think about your family approach with your husband. From children’s advocacy organizations Common Sense Media, keep young eyes and wait until the 8th. Look for some opposing viewpoints as well. (For example, some experts argue that reduced “screen time” is too easy for children to use when they need digital skills to communicate and compete.)
The boundaries of technology will be different for each family. But Brooke Shannon, executive director and founder of Stay, which encourages caregivers to give kids smartphones until eighth grade, shares some tips she thinks will help any parent strike the right balance.
First, start talking about devices and apps long before your kids ask to use them. For example, the ban says, “In our family, we’re waiting for a smartphone until 8th grade so we can [X]He said. Fill that void with something different to your family’s values, Shannon advises. Maybe your family loves the outdoors or learning about new subjects or helping others. It’s easier to get rid of technology when your child understands what to replace it with. To that end, it’s important to structure children’s lives to develop interests outside of the screen, Shannon said.
When your child starts experimenting with technology — like tablets or movies — take it slow. It’s easy to go from zero to 60, says Shannon, so talk to your husband beforehand about time limits on devices or when it’s okay to put your child in front of the TV. Before introducing any new app or device, set up parental controls so you can enforce limits without wresting a tablet out of your kids’ hands.
Shannon’s family has a few cardinal rules, she said. First, no devices in the bedrooms, including televisions. Second, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school children don’t have access to tablets or other personal devices unless the family is traveling. Third, no technology at home during game days. And fourth, an “educational” app or game doesn’t get a free pass.
Prepare answers when your child asks questions or gets upset. “We follow the research in our family,” says Shannon. With older children, you can even talk about research findings and what they mean.
Finally, leave room for flexibility. If you have a head cold, the rules about TV time can go out the window and that’s okay, Shannon said. A few days or weeks of extra technology (or a whole pandemic) doesn’t mean you’re down, and it’s never too late for a family reset.
Stuck in prim purgatory; I tried canceling my Amazon Prime membership and it was a fruitless exercise in frustration.
– Bill, Clarksville, Ind.
Ah, the wonderful world of corporate websites, where “Pay Now” buttons glow and “Cancel” buttons are conveniently missing.
You’re not the first person to notice something fishy about Amazon’s cancellation process. Last year, the Norwegian Consumer Protection Agency complained against the retailer that people had to click through six different pages to cancel. American consumer groups, including Public Citizen, have filed similar complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Those tactics are so well-known they even have names: “blocking” and “flirting.” Both are examples of “dark patterns,” or techniques that web developers use to control your behavior, says Colin Gray, an associate professor of computer graphics technology at Purdue University and a dark pattern expert.
If you’re a person on the internet, you’ve experienced dark patterns. Why, for example, does a popup that purports to allow you to opt out of tracking cookies usually offer two options: “Accept all” or “More options?” Why does a pop-up offer you the offer “No thanks, I hate saving money?” Shame on the options available. And that shows how many other people on a retail site are “currently viewing” an item? It’s probably fake.
“It’s not because consumers are stupid or tech-savvy,” says Gray. “On the other end, there are people who are actually engineering these situations to make them as difficult as possible. So many in the technology industry have to fight this concerted effort.”
Almost a year after being called in the pond, Amazon has changed its cancellation process for customers in the European Union. We still have hope in the United States, Gray said. The Federal Trade Commission announced in October that it plans to “step up” enforcement against companies that use controversially deceptive practices to boost their revenue from subscriptions. And some elements of California’s privacy law could pressure big companies to chill out on dark patterns.
“Customer transparency and trust are our top priorities,” Jameel Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, told The Washington Post. We need ways.
In the meantime, these steps should get you through the cancellation process. Finally, you’ll see an option to end your membership. If you are lost, send me an email and I can help you.
How to cancel Amazon Prime:
- On the desktop, go to “Accounts and Details” from the top menu on the right
- Select “Prime Membership”.
- If you get a popup, select the yellow button on the left: “Proceed to Membership Management”.
- In the gray banner at the top of the page with your account name, select “Manage Membership” on the right. Then select “Unsubscribe”.
- Select the yellow button “Cancel my benefits”. Be sure to read the buttons carefully.
- Select “Continue to delete”.
- Here you will see an option to cancel your membership. Or scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Finish”. [insert date]He said.
- If you need to, keep checking until you’re done
