Written by Tonya Frickey, K-12 Technology Specialist
Every October, schools across the country celebrate National Digital Citizenship Week, an initiative aimed at fostering responsible, balanced, and positive technology use among youth. While it’s great to see kid-friendly apps being utilized, the widespread availability of platforms aimed at older users highlights the need for parents to be actively involved in their children's online experiences. This year, the fifth graders participated in a unique Digital Footprint project, offering valuable insights into their online behaviors and preferences.
The project, which involved 72 fifth-graders, asked students to identify their top five most-visited online platforms, apps, or websites. This exercise provided a revealing snapshot of the digital landscape these young learners navigate daily.
Online Games: With 115 mentions, gaming emerged as the clear frontrunner in children's digital activities. Roblox took the lead with 43 mentions, Fortnite and Minecraft followed with 23 and 19 mentions, respectively.
YouTube: The video-sharing platform secured 53 mentions, highlighting its popularity among this age group.
Streaming Services: Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ garnered 40 mentions.
Social Media: Despite age restrictions on many platforms, social media received 43 mentions, with TikTok and Snapchat being most popular.
Online Music: Music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music were mentioned 25 times
Communication: Messaging, texting, and phone calls collectively received 28 mentions.
Online Reading: Reading platforms like Libby, Sora, and Kindle were mentioned 8 times.
Kid-Friendly Apps: Platforms like Messenger Kids, PBS Kids, and YouTube Kids received 16 mentions.
Interest-Related Apps: Various apps like Pinterest and Google Earth garnered 11 mentions.
This project not only provided valuable data but also served as an excellent starting point for discussions on digital citizenship, online safety, and responsible technology use. It's important to understand the digital landscape students navigate. Many popular platforms have implemented safety measures and parental controls to protect young users:
YouTube, for instance, offers a restricted mode and a separate YouTube Kids app with curated, age-appropriate content. Parents can set viewing preferences, limit screen time, and block videos or channels.
Many online gaming platforms now include parental controls. For instance, Roblox allows parents to restrict chat features, control friend requests, and set account restrictions.
While most social media platforms have age restrictions, some offer kid-friendly versions. Facebook's Messenger Kids, for example, allows parents to approve contacts and monitor usage.
Services like Netflix and Disney+ offer robust parental controls, including PIN-protected profiles, content restrictions, and viewing history reports.
For comprehensive protection across devices and platforms, consider using parental control apps like:
Family Link: Google's solution helps manage Android devices, allowing parents to set digital ground rules, manage app usage, and monitor screen time. https://families.google/familylink/
Screen Time: This app enables parents to set time limits for device usage, restrict access to certain apps, and even pause devices remotely. https://screentimelabs.com/pricing/
The Digital Footprint project provided important insights into the online habits of our fifth-graders. Although it's positive to see the use of kid-friendly apps, the existence of platforms aimed at older users emphasizes the need for parents to engage in their children's digital experiences.