There are generally two schools of thought on the parenting of technology. 

1. The less is more theory.

2. It's going to be a part of their world, so submerge them.

Somewhere in the middle of these two theories is where I find myself, but wherever you are on the scale, parents tend to all have some level of frustration while parenting their family technology.

With every passing day, we are exposed to the avalanche of new technology advances and updates.  The best way to survive the avalanche is to go with the flow, swim with it and try to stay on the top. If you take a deep dive into each new update or gadget too closely you will be buried alive. So we purchase technology, quickly set it up and move on with our daily lives.

This works well until we realize, after the fact that there may be unforeseen parenting pitfalls to the new technology.  It feels like being on a mountain and at the top is a little "snowball tech device". It's just a small little snowball. It's easy to purchase and set up. We use it, we love it, and then all of a sudden it starts rolling down the hill... 

It gets bigger and it rolls faster. We have to start running!!

Maybe the snowball represents how the kids found inappropriate content on the device. Now we need to research parental controls, then we have to set up parental controls, and make parental codes and passwords which need a special hiding place. The snowball is getting bigger and faster, and may trigger an avalanche! How did we not see this snowball coming?

I have parented 4 teenagers from flip phone technology through to the smartphone. The "snowballs" or frustrations I have had, have typically been that "I wish I would have known..."

• kids would be able to access bad things

• there are no parental controls for this or the parental controls do not work well

• the kids would become attached...strongly

• it would break so easily

• the parts would get lost so often and the kids would steal my parts (grrrr)

In order to keep the snowballs from starting avalanches, it is important to talk as parents and create a plan. 

You still will have some "snowballs" or technology frustrations and surprises, but you can be on the same page and update your plan before that snowball gains momentum.

As an example, you may choose to limit access to new technology to your kids until you know more about its pitfalls rather than handing it over to them, only to restrict it later. Maybe you choose to be present while your kids use the technology and as they show responsibility, you release more access. You have to sort out a plan that works for your parenting style, but make a plan! 

One area of a "technology snowball" that is gaining momentum for parents is the use of personal AI (Artificial Intelligence) devices. I recently read this article in the Wall Street Journal, Alexa: Don't Let My 2-Year Old Talk to You That Way, by Sue Shellenbarger. 

This article points out how kids are talking to and relating to voice-activated artificial intelligence devices. Concerns are beginning to arise about how children at different ages perceive the voice inside the box. Some boss it around, some said they would consider confiding in it rather than their parents.

As parents, these types of articles are a great way to begin conversations about how we want to manage and parent such devices in our homes. That gives you, the parent the control. You slow or stop the momentum of the technology snowball, well at least on your mountain!

Create a plan and then, may all your "technology snowballs" be small and slow rolling!