Parents need a school-year tech talk with children

OPINION:

As another school year begins, families naturally pause, reset routines and establish expectations for the months ahead. The most important part of all that may be a conversation parents have with their children.

As a father of a teenager and a preteen, I know this is easier said than done. Still, it is important. Technology, including phones and laptops, is intertwined with our lives. The ultimate benefit of these tools depends on how we use them.

That is why the beginning of the school year is the perfect time to have important discussions that can shape the year ahead.

Set screen time expectations

Schools are updating their approaches to technology in the classroom, balancing distractions, student safety and tech’s educational potential. Parents have an equally important opportunity to define what that balance looks like at home.

Connected devices can open extraordinary doors to learning. A student can practice Spanish, collaborate with classmates or explore subjects that were not accessible a generation ago. However, those same devices can compete for our attention and focus.

The question is: When do devices help us learn, connect and grow, and when do they get in the way?

App developers, device makers and wireless providers all offer tools to help set real limits, and parents should use them. Talk about what you expect from your children with regard to screen time before routines and algorithms make the decision for you.

Teach your children that AI is a tool

Today’s students will be the first generation truly native to artificial intelligence. AI is changing education, healthcare and nearly every profession our children will enter. They will need to become fluent in these tools while understanding the limits.

AI can explain difficult concepts, create practice quizzes, summarize information and serve as a tutor, but it cannot replace curiosity, reasoning, creativity or genuine understanding. Students should not be expected to ignore AI. They should be expected to learn how to use it responsibly.

Parents should reinforce teachers’ message that the point of school is to learn. AI simply helps them get there, when used appropriately. It is our job as parents to help reinforce why learning matters and set good guardrails around AI use.

Learn how to stay safe online

One of the most important technology conversations this fall is about safety. Children face risks online, including from strangers posing as friends and content that is inappropriate for their age.

Criminals increasingly reach us through technology we rely on every day: calls, texts, emails, social media and messaging apps. Their tactics are becoming more sophisticated and convincing. That makes this conversation important for everyone in the family.

Spend 15 minutes walking through warning signs together, such as an unfamiliar contact or a suspicious text or unknown caller. Agree as a family that unexpected requests for money, personal information or private photos deserve a pause before anyone clicks a link or sends a reply.

Learn how to block and report unwanted contact. I have done this with my own children and parents. The best defense against the dangers lurking online — financial or otherwise — is a conversation before an incident ever happens.

Every generation has faced the challenge of parenthood amid new technologies that have changed daily life. Our generation happens to be raising children during one of the most rapid technological transformations in history. We must empower and protect ourselves and our children.

It can feel overwhelming, but it also presents an incredible opportunity.

This year, let us commit to spending time getting our children ready for the digital world they are walking into. If we teach them that technology is something to use thoughtfully, we will prepare them for far more than a successful school year.

• Ajit Pai is president and CEO of CTIA, the industry group representing the U.S. wireless communications industry. He previously served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.