We were pleased to have invited Barry from “Beat the cyberbully” today to talk to parents and children about cyber safety and online reputation.
Top tips for parents included:
While talking to children, a very large amount of children raised their hand when asked if they have a smartphone or if they were on any type of social media. I explained that it was just like learning to ride a bike or drive a car, they need parent and teacher guidance to learn how to use these wonderful but potentially very harmful tools. As a gentle reminder, you must be at least 13 to sign up on FB, Instagram and snapchat.
Top tips for children included:
For more guidance, you can visit Barry’s blog: http://www.beatthecyberbully.ae/blog/
And follow him on his “Beat the cyberbully” Facebook page.
I also highly recommend the website www.commonsensemedia.org with lots of tips for parents, videos and reviews with age appropriateness for all the latest movies and apps.
Finally, below is a great tool to print and hang on your kitchen fridge or next to your household screens (for our children as well as for ourselves J).
Top tips for parents included:
- Better understanding the importance of online reputation and our children’s online socialization.
- Promote a positive presence online; stop and think before you post (is it true? Is it kind?).
- Model appropriate technology usage (time and place, respect, your own privacy settings); your children are watching and learning from you.
- Promote opportunities to discuss their online world. Never punish them if they disclose seeing something inappropriate.
- You must have uncomfortable conversations at a younger age as our children will be confronted to disturbing images however much we try to protect them.
- Stay in control: know when and where to turn it off, use parental control software, resist the pressure from “everybody else is doing it”.
While talking to children, a very large amount of children raised their hand when asked if they have a smartphone or if they were on any type of social media. I explained that it was just like learning to ride a bike or drive a car, they need parent and teacher guidance to learn how to use these wonderful but potentially very harmful tools. As a gentle reminder, you must be at least 13 to sign up on FB, Instagram and snapchat.
Top tips for children included:
- Internet can be a great way to express yourself and be creative. Think about what reputation you want to have online, will it be positive or negative? People will judge you very quickly based on your online trail. Before you post or share, would you share it with your parents? Would it be ok for this picture to be on a billboard on Sheikh Zayed road? Will it be ok for future schools or universities to see? What you say online, stays online, nothing is private.
- Be as safe online as you would in the real world. Don’t connect with strangers.
- As soon as anything uncomfortable or inappropriate happens (and it will…), always tell an adult, don’t keep it to yourself.
- Remember that not everything that you see online is true.
- Take time offline.
For more guidance, you can visit Barry’s blog: http://www.beatthecyberbully.ae/blog/
And follow him on his “Beat the cyberbully” Facebook page.
I also highly recommend the website www.commonsensemedia.org with lots of tips for parents, videos and reviews with age appropriateness for all the latest movies and apps.
Finally, below is a great tool to print and hang on your kitchen fridge or next to your household screens (for our children as well as for ourselves J).