Understanding screen usage

Guidelines for screen time can provide guidance. But what matters even more is how that screen time is spent: what is your child actually doing online?

If you regularly monitor your children's screen use, you may sometimes come across new apps that seem to have appeared overnight and suddenly take up a lot of their time. Sometimes an app looks harmless, but turns out to have less than honourable intentions. In one such case, a father was able to protect his daughter from unpleasant experiences simply by keeping an eye on her phone use.

At de MediaDiamant you will find a wide range of practical tips on parenting and media. These are useful not only for parents and carers of teenagers, but also for those with younger children.

If things go wrong...
Has your child had unpleasant experiences online? Or are you concerned about this as a parent or carer? At Helpwanted.nl you will find practical help and advice for many of situations involving boundary-crossing behaviour. From hacking and bullying to threats, grooming, and more.

Is it real? Or fake?
It can be difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is fake online. Or to recognise when you are being influenced. Isdatechtzo.nl (Dutch) explains how fake news works and what to warning signs to look out for.

Influencers
What does an influencer actually do? Watch this episode of the NPO Zapp programme De Dikke Data-show (Dutch) together with your child. Afterwards, you’ll both have a clear understanding of how influencing works.

Dealing with online hypes and challenges
Hypes and challenges follow each other at high speed on social media. Some are fun and harmless, while others can be genuinely dangerous, such as the Choking Challenge. The Netherlands Youth Institute provides advies on how parents and carers can respond to with online hypes and challenges.

One app that can really make a difference: the 112NL app
An app many parents would want their teenager to have installed. With the 112NL app, users can call and chat with the emergency services. This is particularly useful if someone is unable or unwilling to speak but urgently needs help. The app automatically translates messages into the user’s preferred language. It can, if enabled, share their location with the emergency services. This ensures help can be sent quickly and accurately. In emergencies, that can save lives.