ARTÍCULOS DE INTERÉS
Better Digital Citizens.
Fecha de Publicación: 10/9/2020
Nowadays kids spend a lot of time in front of screens. They engage with applications, read books or articles, play games, do schoolwork, and watch videos or movies. As much as we have to monitor and regulate screentime, we should not forget to also monitor and teach the appropriate use of digital resources to our children. If they learn at a young age they can avoid a lot of problems in the future.
It’s important we understand that our children will learn a great deal from what they see us do. Kids copy our behavior and when they see that we know how to put a limit to screentime, it will be much easier for them to do so too. So if we want our children to spend a limited or programmed time online, the best is to model this by consciously planning our own online time. Furthermore, we should intentionally program activities that don’t require the use of screens, like taking a walk in the park, making dinner together, playing board games, reading a book, etc.
Talking to our kids about the benefits of online tools and more importantly, about the dangers of the same, helps open communication lines with them from an early age. Data privacy is one of the biggest issues at the moment and if kids are not careful they can easily give away information that should have remained private. We should monitor what our, especially young kids, post and publish online and of course, what they watch. Unwillingly, too much information is given away which can lead to identity theft as well as to other difficult and unpleasant situations. Everything published online will be out there forever. As parents, we can teach what is personal and private information, how to make strong passwords, what is ok to publish, and what is not.
Another important point to consider is talking to them about their online relationships. Peer pressure is a very strong driving force amongst teens, so when possible we can take time to talk to them about their friends and the topics that most concern them and find out what has their interest. Talking to our teens about how to be kind and respectful when reacting online can help them get along better and make them better digital citizens. Daily they are confronted with an online culture of “likes”, which often leads to a point where they frequently take unnecessary risks by posting things that expose them to reactions, positive and negative ones. As long as the reactions are positive everything seems fine, but we should consider that many start “needing” these likes to feel good about themselves. On the other hand, when the feedback is not what they expected, negative, or even cruel, they can easily fall into a depression.
Our kids and teens are constantly receiving and taking in online information. Whether we notice or not, everything they see, hear and read influences them. We can talk to them to learn what they think about different topics, help them distinguish real news from “fake” news, and more importantly help them develop the ability to distinguish the difference between those two. To create a positive online experience for our kids and teens, the most important thing is talking to them about it, modeling the desired behavior, and knowing what their interests are. If we do this they will surely have a more positive online experience throughout their lives and be better digital citizens.
-Mrs. Selina Blackman / Academic Director.