Raising Kids in the Digital World

OK, game on!! With the new iPhone out and the tussle between Apple and Samsung swelling, our kids are diving right into the mix wanting the latest and greatest of smartphones. My girls are so mad at me for not upgrading them to at least an iPhone 5 – not until their renewal in January. (Patience is a practice). I know. I’m so mean. The real reason they want new iPhones with iOS8 is so they can upgrade to the newest Snapchat features. This apparently means they can opt out of group chats they have no interest in. I’m all for them avoiding peer drama, but they still have to wait.

So once again we are revisiting the family guideposts on technology use at home. It’s a good time as ever with the start of high school, and not to mention that I’m a guest on next week’s Mommybites.com Teleclass: Kids & Social Media: Social Impacts, Potential Risks and Setting Limits. It’s Tue 9/30 at 12noon, EST. Be sure to register, come with questions, and share with friends.

The fact of the matter is that kids with smartphones is like watching a full-body contact sport on the digital playground. It’s fast, competitive and at times, brutal. We need to meet kids where they’re at, and yes, coach and referee when needed.

It’s why the BodiMojo team and I are trying like heck to leverage the use of mobile technology for the good. Mobile technology is here to stay and it’s just a matter of time before its embedded in our clothes, jewelry, and skin! The movement is called the Quantified Self and our kids will be on the frontlines of new technologies. So let’s use the technology tools they use everyday to teach, support and, yes, run interference. BodiMojo is taking on the mission to use mobile phones in kids’ health. We call it emotional intelligence on the go. Ironic, yet apt.

We believe we’re on to something and we need your help. I’m asking for Your VOTE. Mission Main Street will be offering grants of $150K to 20 small businesses in the USA. Yes, big banking is trying to help the small guys. Sweet. It may be a long shot, but a business grant like that would help BodiMojo get off the ground as a business and to bring our innovation out of R&D and into the big playground of healthcare. Read more about it on the BodiMojo blog, or go and vote right now!

Let’s stay ahead of the curve and teach our children well.