Consider This: Phone Etiquette is a family activity that presents scenarios and solutions to consider through discussion.
I’ve got 3 teenagers, and over the years I’ve watched them and my teen friends navigate cell phones in a variety of ways. Sometimes I have conversations with my kids about how I see phone etiquette should be, and other times I feel like my thoughts just POP UP and I’m not really sure what is right or wrong.
Often times I just have opinions about phone etiquette, and I know not everyone will feel the same. I really wanted to have a conversation about phone etiquette, and I started to make a list about all of the things I wanted to talk about.
This first edition of “Consider This!” is a presentation of 50 cards with questions meant to explore the variety of ways to respond with proper phone etiquette. Some scenarios may have a clear right and wrong, while others may have different opinions. Our children need to hear our thoughts in a non confrontational way, and that is my goal in creating these scenarios.
Watch the 1 minute video with details here:
CLICK on the image below to watch 1 minute intro video
Phone Etiquette Cards
The phrase “Consider This” is meant to be a soft response, aiming for open communication and discussion. Keep that in mind as you chat with your kids, they may have differing opinions about digital courtesy, talk through those thoughts.
Let’s teach our kids to develop their own personal internal filter through these conversations.
After each topic, there are some life application scenarios you can discuss and then ask…what would you do? I see this as PERFECT dinner table discussion, or long car drives on a family road trip. Ideally have all of your children in on the discussion, learn and grow together.
***PHYSICAL CARD ORDERS SUSPENDED UNTIL further notice. YOU CAN PURCHASE ALL CARDS DIGITALLY (AND PRINT ON YOUR OWN) FOR $15!
Digital Etiquette
When I created these scenarios, I took a poll on Instagram and asked what was the biggest pet peeve people have with how we use our phones nowadays. The overwhelming majority of responses was some form of:
“I feel unimportant when I am with someone and they respond to a text, scroll social media, tap on their apple watch, or answer a phone call that clearly isn’t an emergency.”
I put these cards together to encourage thoughtfulness when it comes to phones.
While some of these actions are simply annoying, others leave people feeling ignored, unimportant, or disregarded for something “better.”
Digital Etiquette is integrity, or sense of self management, and general responsibility for your actions as well as yourself on devices, the internet and treating people like you would in real life. Standard of conduct expected by all technology users. Be aware of others and how you are using technology affects them. Electronic standard of how people behave online.
If you want more help introducing your teens to the social media world, download my free e-book with 13 tips, including a social media contract here:
[…] CONSIDER THIS cards to discuss phone etiquette. This is such a great family activity, and even inviting your kids friends to join in the discussion as well. Many cases, there are no WRONG answers, as etiquette feels different to different people. It helps to be able to explain texting, voice calls, social media etiquette to teens to be better social citizens. You can purchase the box of 50 cards, or download 6 free right on that page I linked to. […]