This phone belongs to my 14 year old daughter. It’s charging on my kitchen counter. At 9pm, every single night, her phone shuts itself down and she brings it here.
Why? It’s how I keep her safe.
That phone is free of social media. She has an app that allows her to chat with a handful of friends and family. I know every person she talks to and I check her phone and messages regularly.
Why? It’s how I’m keeping her safe.
My nearly 12 year old son asked me two days ago if I would connect his PS4 to the internet so he could play with friends outside of the house. I said no.
He had a persuasive argument, it was filled with many things I agree with him about.
Unfortunately, the good does not outweigh the bad. So, I stuck with the original “no.”
Why? It’s how I am keeping him safe.
These devices, left unchecked, will allow people into our homes at any hour of any day. There is no escape. And I’ve created this home to be an escape.
It’s a safe place for my children. No matter what happens out in the world, I want this house to be their respite, their safe haven, their fortress.
Opening the door to unmonitored internet access allows anyone to enter our home at any time. I’m locking that door.
