Facing an era where kids are spending more time online than ever, Clinton Youth & Family Services (CYFS) has decided to host a free workshop on the effects of this screen time on Saturday, May 19 at 10 a.m. at the Henry Carter Hull Library located at 10 Killingworth Turnpike.

The event, titled Raising a Competent Child in the Digital Age, is hosted by CYFS and will feature pediatric psychologist Jodie M. Ambrosino, Ph.D.

“What I’m really trying to do is raise awareness of digital technology,” Ambrosino said, noting that the workshop is intended to help parents recognize how social media is developing and help their kids develop the skills to use it.

CYFS program coordinator Jill Paglino said she got the idea for bringing the workshop to Clinton after she ran a conference in Guilford in April at which Ambrosino spoke and received positive reviews from parents.

“It’s an issue that impacts every town. Every kid has a phone now,” Paglino said.

Paglino and Ambrosino both mentioned areas of concern they have when technology and children intersect. Paglino said she witnessed the before and after effects on the kids that cell phones and social media was having during the 13 years she worked as a guidance counselor in Montville.

“I saw a definite change in almost everything,” Paglino said. “Kids constantly came in and said, ‘I saw this on Facebook last night.’”

Paglino said that the classic example of trouble at school, kids fighting on the playground, is something that doesn’t really happen anymore. Instead, kids are now fighting online where “you can’t see it unless you’re reading their phone.” That lasting online presence means that “any fight was made bigger.”

“We teach them to read and write, but when we hand them a phone and an iPad, how many of us are sitting down with them and telling them how to use it?” Ambrosino asked. “People of all ages struggle with this, but with kids the problem is that their brains are still developing.”

Acknowledging that there’s no one size-fits-all solution to helping kids, Ambrosino said, “One of my strongest recommendations is to have a conversation before using the devices.”

In that conversation. Ambrosina suggests parents and kids lay out ground rules such as when the phones are to be put away and where they are charged. Ambrosino also recommended that the parents monitor their child’s use.

“Just because they may be responsible in other areas doesn’t mean they will be online,” Ambrosino said.

Paglino and Ambrosino both said that they don’t think that all technology and social media is negative.

“Research is pretty clear there are a lot of benefits to social media when it’s used correctly,” Paglino said, noting increased confidence for some users and a sense of connectivity.

“Phones aren’t going away and you’re not a bad parent if you give your kid a cell phone,” Paglino said, so the conference will focus more on healthy ways to use the technology.

Ambrosina’s goal is to help parents make children into “thoughtful users, not automatic users,” she said.

Raising a Competent Child in the Digital Age

Raising a Competent Child in the Digital Age, hosted by Clinton Youth & Family Services, is on Saturday, May 19 at 10 a.m. at the Henry Carter Hull Library located at 10 Killingworth Turnpike.