How To Help Your Kids Protect Their Tech

Back when I was in school, the teachers would hand out all the books on the first day of class. We’d carry them all home in overloaded backpacks and spend the evening covering them in brown paper bags, which would become doodle space when bored in class throughout the year.

Today, many schools don’t even use actual books. In an increasingly technology-driven world, issuing laptops or tablets is a much more efficient way to get the information into the kids’ hands. (It also gets rid of the “I left my book in my locker over the weekend” excuse.) In theory, electronics replacing books is a great idea, until your child is the one with the broken laptop or iPad and you’re the parent responsible for the repair bill. To prevent that, it’s really important to make sure that your kids know how to take care of their electronics. 

Protect your tech. Look into appropriate products to protect your electronics. There are literally thousands of options for laptop bags that will suit both the needs and personalities of your kids. You can get very protective briefcase-like bags as well as simple messenger bags, depending on what your child’s habits are.

For tablets, there are also several options for cases that include waterproof options. If your kids are prone to spills, waterproof cases can be a life saver!

Keep it clean! Dust is the natural enemy of any electronic. Teaching your kids to keep theirs clean is imperative. Products like smart clothes allow them to do the task with a little bit of personality. The 5 x 7-inch dual-sided microfiber cleaning cloths come in many different design options.

Charge! The biggest advantage that actual books have over electronic learning tools is that they don’t need a charge. If you’ve got a teenager (or a husband!) you’re probably very aware that they never have their devices charged. And when they are charged, it could very well be because they unplugged yours to plug theirs in!

To keep everything running smoothly at home and at school, be sure to have plenty of charge and sync cables as well as power banks on hand. I’m especially fond of the fun designs and colors. They add a little pizzazz to the day as well as identity. Everyone in the house can have their own cord, eliminating any sort of arguments between your kids over who “stole” whose charger! (Yes – everyone’s kids do that!)

Be safe! Hunching over a screen of any kind for hours is not good for your body. Using products that support your electronics and take the stress off your body is a healthy habit to get into. We like the Toddy Gear Wedge – the beanbag design will support a smartphone anywhere – whether that’s on a desk for studying, on the arm of the couch, or in my case, on the kitchen table so I can try out new recipes!

In addition to physical support for electronics, ensuring online safety is crucial in today’s digital age. Search engines and internet service providers are increasingly focusing on enhancing browsing safety and privacy. For instance, Google’s initiative to phase out google third party cookies represents a significant step towards more private and secure web browsing experiences. However, the onus still largely falls on parents to safeguard their children from online threats. This means setting up and maintaining comprehensive parental controls, educating children about the dangers of sharing personal information online, and encouraging safe browsing habits.

With a little instruction and a little bit of style, taking care of their tech will become second nature to your kids, just like taking care of our books was for us. Looking back on the paper bag covers, I wonder what exactly we were protecting our books from using that method!

I’m happy that the options to protect learning tools have progressed right along with the tools themselves. Can you imagine covering your laptop with a brown bag? Even funnier to think about is that someday this generation will lament about carrying their “heavy” laptops to class when they see their kids’ new learning tools!

How about your kids – do they still use books or has your school gone tech?