I have been in university since 2017, and only online since 2020. Before being in education, I was in Social Work, and social media presence was discussed in great detail. The Social Work Code of Ethics outlines the appropriate way to exercise social justice. In my classes, it was discussed how social media plays a role in appropriate social justice. The reason I bring this up is because it is probably the part of “cyber safety” I struggle with the most. I have a hard time watching mass discrimination, abuse, and ignorance run rampant on the internet, but I have learned over the years that it; 1.) is unhealthy for me to engage, therefore unsafe for my mental well-being, and 2.) you get more followers with sugar than salt. When the environment is unhealthy and discriminatory, they are not ready to accept sugar, or even accept that they are eating salt. Arguing online is a slippery slope, and ends nowhere.
In teaching children and youth, I have a very different approach than most of my colleagues, in that I speak to children and equals, and I am real with them about risks and possible outcomes. In teaching the risks of online use, especially online etiquette, I would be real with them that certain words, ways of interacting with others, and certain materials could have long-term consequences, and how things are online forever. Fear-mongering is not the intention, but sometimes the truth is scary. A post online could unfortunately be incriminating and have future consequences that could cost people their livelihoods.
Because I don’t have a clue what to do, as I don’t want to fearmonger, while still being honest about the risks, I researched. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children recommends to remain calm, balanced and non-judgemental. This got me thinking about how the videos shown in class where very unbalanced, and seemed judgemental towards youth, instead of speaking to the youth. To talk about the bad, you must be aware of the good, and the reasons people are making the choices that put them at risk.
I looked at various videos online about talking to kids about internet safety, and found one that I enjoyed entitled; “Teaching Internet Safety to Kids & Teens”. This is a very short video, and I think that is what makes it so good for teaching youth about internet safety. Kids don’t want lectures, they want to know what you have to say in 10 seconds flat and go back to what they were originally doing. This video gives tips and is non-judgemental, clear and concise.
How would any of you handle this situation? I am looking at this through a lense of older children and youth, but maybe a more simplistic approach would be better.
I hope you all are having an awesome week!
Cheyenne