Digital Citizenship is about confident and positive engagement with digital technology.
Even without your child’s permission, their digital DNA is often started while they are still in utero, with parents posting ultrasound pictures along with pregnancy announcements. As they grow, so too does their digital footprint as life events are documented through social media. Throughout college, they start to take control over their own online presence controlling what is liked, shared, tweeted and snapped; reflecting their views, interests and personality.
While this digital citizenship seems to come free of charge it doesn’t come without terms and conditions. This is where too many teenagers fail to recognise the true power it has to have a significant impact not only on their lives but on all those with whom they interact.
Being aware of their own behaviour, respecting others and knowing how to take action to protect themselves means that they bring respect, integrity and ethical behaviour to their online interactions and discourage anti-social behaviours like trolling, bullying and harassment.
Choosing consciously means being aware that they are in control of the decisions they make online. It means thinking before sharing personal information and understanding that their choices can last forever. It is frightening but a reality that a poor decision in their teens could be the difference between securing that professional contract they have worked their whole life for and being seen as an unnecessary risk.
I urge you to discuss digital citizenship with your son/daughter and even visit the following website which was my inspiration for this blog.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/education-resources/classroom-resources/digital-citizenship-ms
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