Snowline Joint Unified hosts parent workshop on 'digital parenting' and device safety

Katie Bodell, a teacher on special assignment for Snowline Joint Unified School District, led a parent workshop on digital parenting that summarized national technology‑use statistics, described common online risks and offered seven concrete steps families can use to set rules and monitor devices.

The session focused on why parents need ongoing conversations and clear household rules about devices. Bodell opened by noting rapid change in youth technology: “It’s a totally different world that we have to navigate, as parents,” and said the district posts slides and handouts online for families who could not attend.

Bodell presented recent usage figures she showed to attendees: among children ages 2–17, 90% have access to a tablet or iPad, 75% access a gaming console and 65% a smartphone; she also cited that the average age a child now receives a smartphone has fallen to about 8. For teens 13–17 she said YouTube was the most used platform (93%), that 95% of teens reported using at least one social platform and that 35% of those teens…