FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions answered
Screen Time
It depends on their age and whether it’s fun or functional screen time
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Spending too much time in front of a screen means losing out on other activities and
experiences which are important to the development of your child. Too much screen time has proven detrimental impacts on young brains, eyes, bodies and mental health.
We like to distinguish between educational (or functional) and entertaining (fun) screen time. Screen time that combines both is first prize – such as MineCraft, brain games, word puzzles etc
Pornography & Violence
Online porn is hard-core and is being classified as the new drug. It is highly addictive and the younger the exposure, the greater the addiction. The aggressive/ submissive and violent theme of online porn significantly affects how young, developing minds view and approach intimate relationships later in life.
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Take a deep breath, read our blog to prep, and then sit down and talk to them. Use parental filters to prevent access to inappropriate adult websites, and to limit social media apps and games, which are often the initial source of exposure.
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Parents can get very defensive around accepting that their child exposed yours to
pornography. Remember that it was going to happen regardless of how it happened. Give yourself space to calm down before talking with the other parent, ideally in-person, and follow our guidelines in our blog.
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Gaming
Settings for games can be changed to protect the identity and location of your kids, to keep them safer.
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App and game developers use similar persuasive technology techniques to those used by the gambling industry, to make games irresistible, compulsive and hard to stop.
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Just like any professional sport, to be an eSport athlete you must show both Discipline and Evidence. Use their passion to drive them to build discipline (sticking to agreements) and competing in appropriate competitions to prove they have what it takes.
Social Media
Teens love social media but they need your guidance and inputs as it can affect their self-worth, confidence and general mental health. Most of the popular social media platforms like Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok, are real-age rated 16+.
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Settings for apps can be changed to protect the identity and location of your kids, to keep them safer.
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App and game developers use similar persuasive technology techniques to those used by the gambling industry, to make apps irresistible, compulsive and hard to stop. If you child’s Social Media use is negatively impacting their studies, sleep or relationships, talk to them about it.
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Filters & Limits
A: Try to wait as long as you can, to let your child use a smartphone. Set it up from the start with parental filters, and apply the “loan rather than own” principle, so that you can manage and control it. A cell phone contract is an excellent way to agree the rules of use and consequences of misuse.
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A: Make a Family Digital Alliance and agree how, when and where screens are used. Use screen time apps and/or WiFi routers to help guide and develop your family’s good digital habits.
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A: ScreenTime (iOs) and Family Link (Android) are a good start, but installing parental control filters on devices and WiFi are best.
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Settings
Tech companies monitor our likes and dislikes through every click we make, and use our data to channel our preferences, beliefs and opinions, and market products to us. Changing the default settings helps protect your online privacy.
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Default settings for phones, tablets, computers and gaming consoles can all be reset to protect data security and location.
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Start with your own phone, change your notification settings to stop your phones apps from contacting you for unnecessary reasons. Do you really need to know that you just got a new LinkedIn request?
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Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is prevalent on social media and online games, make it a habit of asking your child about their 'Digital Day' to keep lines of communication open about their online world. If they tell you they are being Cyberbullied, treat it as if it were in person bullying, contact the bullys parent, escalate to a teacher if need be, and be sure to take a screenshot the bullying so you can have a discussion about it.
Congratulate your child on speaking up. Teach your child to be a Cyber Superhero: an Upstander rather than a Bystander.
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An Upstander is someone who speaks up in support of a victim of cyberbullying. A Bystander takes the easier route of avoiding the conflict they are observers too.
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Getting your child to open up to you requires consistently asking them about what is going for them, do it daily, and don’t be specific about the bullying, when they feel more
comfortable, they will open up. Also, institute a new rule that all phones are out of
bedrooms at night, as this is when most cyberbullying occurs.
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Stranger Danger
If you wouldn’t open your front door to strangers and let them play in your child’s room, monitor who they are talking to online.
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Take screenshots of messages, save images or videos and report it immediately to the child protection authority in your jurisdiction!
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Unless you have made sure that your child can only talk with certain users who you have approved are their friends, or you have set up a private chat channel, you have to assume they are open to being contacted by unsupervised adults, which is a risk that is not worth taking.
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5 STAR REVIEWS
What Our Customers Say
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Real, practical guidance that can save us a lot of damage and drama. A stitch in time n all. Thanks Josh! 
Linda Wilson
December 14, 2020 - An amazing organization made up of an amazing team! Extremely proud to be associated with BIT!
Russell Pengelly
December 14, 2020 - Josh and his team bring significant experience, best practice and the latest tech to the digital wellness space. Our learnings through Be In Touch really emphasize the dire need for all parents to step into a space or knowing how to manage your child’s online journey always supporting healthy usage. I highly recommend working with Josh
Misha Teasdale
December 14, 2020 - Very important for all families with young children, tweens and teens!
Susan Tasker
December 10, 2020 - Be in Touch is an absolute invaluable initiative and resource for parents and their children, and even for grandparents like myself, as we navigate this ever growing digital landscape. The digital connected world has such incredible value, but also many challenges, as not only we are being exposed to very powerful negative agendas over the web, but also the danger of devices being the new addiction. Josh and team, thanks so much for coming form a deep values-based motivation to support us in this way.
Tertia Smit
December 17, 2020 - deeply thoughtful ideas to help parents with meaningful control over the acess to social media for their children.
TimRobin Farina
December 10, 2020 - Simple, insightful - what all busy parents need
Rmd Gammatec
December 10, 2020 - The solution could not be more relevant.
Arno Van Der Walt
December 15, 2020
Why is family digital wellbeing key to parenting? 🤗
Josh chats to @nikkibushsa in Episode 1 of Discovery Health’s Digital Wellbeing Video Series - the series that’s designed with the whole family in mind. Children are getting access to devices and connecting to the world wide web at an ever younger age. Being potentially exposed to over 4 billion strangers has big mental and physical risks but where do you start to know what your children are doing and seeing on their digital devices?
*Link in bio*
@discovery_sa
#onlineparenting
#familydigitalwellbeing
Nope, not a burner phone! Just the start of my son's adventure at boarding school - with no phones allowed for 2 weeks 😊
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App, brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch.
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch. Link in bio or go to - https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
#bealerted #beintouch #betheguide
Can you say that you’re really aligned with your spouse or co-parent around your family's device use... or that you always practice what you preach?! 😘
Setting and implementing device boundaries is key to our kids' online safety and sanity. We know, we've got the stats that show it!
Join Josh Ramsey and Mandy Herold @the_connection_coach for 30 min on Wednesday 19 Jan at 11am (SAST), for the next @discovery_sa digital mental health webinar, as we chat about how parents can align offline to protect and guide their kids online.
Register through link in bio or https://beintouch.org.za/discovery
#8steps #deviceboundaries #happyparenting
👉When it comes to online parenting, getting your parenting partner on board and aligned is key to success.👈
In the third of our 6-part @discovery_sa digital mental health webinar series, we chat to Mandy Herold @the_connection_coach about the need for parents to consciously set boundaries around their families’ digital device use.
Join us for 30 mins on Wed 19 January at 11 am (SAST), as Josh and Mandy share their insights into how parents can do this, the importance of aligning on their approach, and the impact it has on children.
Register with link in bio or: https://beintouch.org.za/webinars/
#coparenting #deviceboundaries #familydigitalwellbeing
Keep your kids SAFER and SANER online
Bark's affordable, award-winning dashboard proactively monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and 30+ different social networks for potential safety concerns, so busy parents can save time and gain peace of mind.
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#childmonitor #parenting #moms #dads #kids #safety #onlinesafety #parentalcontrolapp #bark #beintouch
C'mon, Mum...!!
#familytime
Credit: Chris Roy Taylor
Know What's Going On(line)
As a busy parent, reading every text message, post, and email just isn’t realistic.
Scary REAL Facts
* 45.5% of tweens and 66.3% of teens engaged in conversations about depression.
* 76.7% of tweens and 82.0% of teens experienced bullying as a bully, victim, or witness.
* 41.4% of tweens and 66.6% of teens were involved in a self-harm/suicidal situation.
*Source: In 2020, Bark analyzed more than 2.1 billion messages across texts, email, and 30+ apps and social media platforms. These findings exclude school-based accounts.
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#stopcyberbullying #barkapp #beintouch #parentalcontrolapp #parents #moms #dads #kidssafety #online #childmonitor
@barktechnologies
How to help your child through common issues
Raising children in an online world can be scary and often cause more harm than good. Bark's affordable, award-winning App helps parents monitor and appropriately respond to unsafe activity, cyberbullying and so much more.
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#barkapp #beintouch #parentalcontrolapp #parents #moms #dads #kidssafety #online #childmonitor
We honour a man who was a moral compass, a guiding star, who stood up for what is right and just, when others remained seated.
We are inspired by you, Arch, to make a difference in our world.
#DesmondTutu
Keep your kids SAFER and SANER online
Bark's affordable, award-winning dashboard proactively monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and 30+ different social networks for potential safety concerns, so busy parents can save time and gain peace of mind.
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#childmonitor #parenting #moms #dads #kids #safety #onlinesafety #parentalcontrolapp #bark #beintouch
We wish you a treasure trove of family memories!
#familytimeisthebesttime
The Best Comprehensive Parental Control Tool for Families
Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s online lives. Bark monitors 30+ of the most popular apps and social media platforms, including text messaging and email, for signs of digital dangers.
Barks screen time management and web filtering tools help you set healthy limits around how and when your kids use their devices.
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#barkapp #beintouch #parents #teens #moms #dads #parentalcontrol #digitaldangers #parentalcontrolapp #kids #safety #lifestye #parenting
Protect your kids on 30+ platforms
Trusted by both parents and schools around the world.
Bark monitors 30+ of the most popular apps and social media platforms for signs of issues
like cyberbullying, suicidal ideation, online predators, threats of violence, and more. Barks
web filtering and screen time management tools empower families to set healthy limits
around the websites and apps their kids can access.
Get a 7 day FREE trial and 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#barkapp #beintouch #parents #teens #moms #dads #parentalcontrol #digitaldangers #parentalcontrolapp #kids #safety #lifestye #parenting
Keep your kids safer online
* Monitor content for digital dangers.
* Manage screen time for healthy limits.
* Filter websites for safer browsing
Bark, the world’s #1 Parental Control App Brought to parents in South Africa by Be in Touch
Get a 7 day FREE trial + 10% off for LIFE when signing up with Be In Touch.
Click here -> https://beintouch.org.za/bark/
Bark is the most comprehensive online safety solution trusted by both parents and schools nationwide.
https://beintouch.org.za
info@beintouch.org.za
#barkapp #beintouch #parents #teens #moms #dads #parentalcontrol #digitaldangers #parentalcontrolapp #kids #safety #lifestye #parenting
In a brave interview, Billie Eilish has revealed the impact that exposure to online pornography had on her at age 11.
She has said "I didn't understand why that was a bad thing - I thought it was how you learned how to have sex."
"I was an advocate and I thought I was one of the guys and would talk about it and think I was really cool for not having a problem with it and not seeing why it was bad."
The singer-songwriter said she believed viewing the content while so young had "destroyed" her brain and caused her to suffer nightmares.
Eilish said it is a "real problem" that porn could skew wider understandings of what is normal during sex, including around consent.
Talk to your kids today about porn! Make it a frequent and natural topic for family discussion.
Install parental controls to filter the websites and apps that kids and t(w)eens can access.
Do it for their mental health!
Follow the link in our bio to our Resources and our Porn Talk Guide.
#keepkidssafeonline
Your child has a tablet or phone? FACT: they will stumble upon or search for online pornography.
Many parents don’t understand how seriously online porn is impacting this generation of teens. It is powerful and creates a desire for more.
When teens view pornography they can develop:
Unrealistic sexual beliefs and values
An over-focus or obsession on sex
Sexually aggressive behaviours
An earlier interest in having sex
Promiscuity and sexually permissive behaviours
Anxiety about their own body and sexual performance
Behaviour problems and depressive feelings
Bonding issues with others, including their parents
Talk to your kids about sex and healthy relationships, or they will rely on the version they find on the internet where sex is about consumption rather than connection.
#16DaysOfActivismAgainstGenderBasedViolence
Rather than gifting smart devices, try the “loaned not owned” approach, with a contract that helps you agree and set boundaries, limits and consequences with your teen. Your sanity will thank you later!
Feel free to make our contract your own: https://beintouch.org.za/resources/
Or link in bio
#loannotown
Credit: @jerrykcartoons
From the work we’ve done in schools this past year, getting learners from Grade 4 to Grade 11 to tell us what they are really seeing, doing and experiencing online, we know that 22% of kids have been exposed to online pornography by age 10, mostly at home on the internet.
Regular online porn consumption has a proven physiological and psychological impact on young developing brains.
Added to this, is the anxiety of our teens around –
understanding what normal sexual relationships are
managing compulsion and addiction to pornography
knowing what is expected of them in relationships.
This is a real and present threat to their mental health.
Talk to your kids about sex and pornography! Use parental controls to block adult content and give you alerts in the important conversations you need to be having with your kids! Keep checking in and checking up!
Link in bio to more resources to help you with this.
#16daysofactivismagainstgenderbasedviolence
We were honored to be invited to @salvazioneschool 30th birthday celebration!
An amazing school that does so much to change the course of young lives, with so little. This school was also the best supporter of @getyoti #share2protect campaign to keep kids safer online!
#keepkidssafeonline #ageverification #makeadifference
