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How to use your family vacation as a digital detox
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As families head off on summer vacations, it's essential to make plans to limit tech while traveling. Disconnecting devices can mean a more meaningful bonding experience during this precious time together. - photo by Amy Iverson
Well, here we are smack dab in the middle of summer vacation, and youre staring at a screen. Dont get me wrong. I appreciate you reading my column, and, of course, we need to stay informed even during July. But we also need to have a serious conversation about putting down our devices on vacation.

No doubt your family has at least one getaway planned for this summer, but what plans have you made to digitally disconnect, so you can truly connect to one another during that time?

You may be thinking of all the ways you need to restrict your kids cellphone use while on vacation, and well get to that. But take a good long look in the mirror. How present do you plan to be during your vacation?

A recent survey from job site Glassdoor found the majority of Americans report working while on vacation. Some say their employers require them to stay connected to work issues, with 54 percent reporting they cannot completely check out.

I actually empathize with the tug-of-war many people feel between vacation and work. For some professions, it is the ability to stay somewhat connected and reachable that even allows for any time off at all. So while I am not condoning parents using devices for work while on vacation, I understand that sometimes it is a necessity just dont make it a preference.

Moms and dads are constantly complaining about kids noses stuck in their phones, but often this is a pot/kettle scenario. Forty-one percent of teenagers told Common Sense Media that when they try to talk with their parents, mom or dad is the one completely distracted by a device. Parents, this is even all the more important to avoid while on vacation, a time when serious bonding should be taking place.

Some travel agencies have made this easy for families. Intrepid Travel arranges Digital Detox Trips where no social media or cellphones are allowed. Period. They want people to see and feel something, basically to force travelers to be present.

There are also resorts and hotels that help you put your gadgets down. The Mandala Spa and Resort Villas in the Philippines has a digital detox villa with no TV or Wi-Fi. The Wing Creek Resort in British Colombia also offers a digital detox environment, with no TV, internet or telephones in its cottages.

Find a spot that suits you through the website Digital Detox Holidays. It has a world map that shows hotels in three separate categories: an X through a phone means the hotel offers ways to help you disconnect, an X through a Wi-Fi symbol means the rooms have no Wi-Fi, phone or television, and an X through the symbol for service bars means there is absolutely no cell reception.

Some other options include glamping in Moab, Utah, a Caribbean hideaway in St. John, and a mountain-top retreat in Switzerland.

If you dont want to spend the cash on a fancy resort, take matters into your own hands. Plan your own vacation where there is no cell service. Go river running in Colorado, or go camping high up in the mountains somewhere cell service cant reach you.

If your family has a bit more willpower and can limit their own device usage, then just follow a few tips to make the vacation go smoothly. Remind everyone they really will enjoy the trip more if they disconnect. An Intel survey found 65 percent of people who say they shun digital devices while traveling admit it helped them enjoy their vacation more.

You can decide if you and your kids want to limit tech time to emergencies only. Maybe that means only checking email (for parents) and social media (for kids) at a certain time each day. Or maybe you decide no gadgets are allowed outside, but only in the hotel room.

Another option would be to turn off data on your kids' phones for the vacation. That way, they could still use them as cameras, and for music, but not everything else. Parents could take this route as well, but phones often come in handy for navigation or local events and restaurant reviews.

No matter how strict you decide to be about spending time on devices while on vacation, know that sometimes we have to digitally disconnect to meaningfully connect with our loved ones. That same Intel study found that 51 percent of people who found the fortitude to unplug during their vacation truly felt more connected to the people they were with. I have no proof, but I feel like the other 49 percent of people were either fooling themselves, or lying.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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