Continuing our ongoing examination of young people's usage of technology, today I want to look at all the available communication technologies, and dig into how to make them work together instead of taking over your young person's life.

We have temporarily left the Internet discussion, because I feel its important at this juncture to make a couple of points about communication technology for you, for me and for all our young people...

The first thing you must do is accept it. As simple as this may appear, many, many parents are resisting the onward march of communication technology and blindly sticking with pen, paper and telephone. If you really want to understand the technology your children are using, then the overall message here has to be "jump right in"...Get involved. Learn how to use instant messaging, cellphone text, email...You will perhaps be surprised how interesting and useful it is. As an ex-pat some 3,500 miles away from my family and friends, I chat at weekends using Instant Messaging with my father, my nephews, sister and friends...It is like any other communication medium, and, whilst typing takes a little longer, at least when you get started, it is still a great way to stay in touch.

But here is my main point about all these communication technologies: The most enriched communications work by using ALL of them at appropriate times, and not limiting yourself to one or the other...I regularly use email and chat to stay in touch with friends, but I also use text and I call them on the phone - it is about what is the most appropriate method at the time, and there are definite advantages to having all of these technologies available to us.

When communication becomes restricted to only digital technologies, that is when it becomes an issue - that is when "digital hermits" comes to life - those people who spend their waking hours plugged into their computer so they can chat with their online friends. This is obviously not a healthy state of affairs, especially for young people, and you should endeavour to ensure this situation does not arise. I have stated in a previous article that (1) Putting the computer in a "public" room of the house with its monitor facing away from the wall, is a deterrent to visiting inappropriate websites etc, and, (2) Setting timetables and ground-rules for use (ie computer can only be used between 4pm and 6pm provided all homework is complete and the breakfast pots have been washed and put away) is a great method for incentivising, and still making sure that young people are not on the computer too often. These two points will help you ensure you do not grown yourself a digital hermit out of your children. I was chatting with a young Bermudian mother the other day who has a great laugh with her children whilst she is learning their "text speak" language - they laugh at her lack of understanding, but they coach her and teach her as well...She is loving it.

Bob Mellor is a senior business technologist with over twenty years experience in the IT industry. He is accredited by the British Computer Society as a Chartered IT Professional, and currently Technology Consulting Manager at Bermuda Microsystems Group. He can be contacted on bob@bmg.bm His views here do not reflect the views of The Royal Gazette or Bermuda Microsystems Group, and are purely based out of his personal experiences and knowledge.