I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all that our lives are hanging by a click.
Recently read a story on Medium where the author spoke about her experience when her work got plagiarised and then got posted on the very same platform. What a gall the perpetrator had!
Meta has changed its rules to do away with fact checkers. So the popular social media platforms are like the Wild West; you can expect anything.
AI has made major inroads into a lives in every conceivable area that you can think of. From providing solutions to helping with the work to even replacing voices.
In short, our lives are on the public domain. One click can undo (no pun intended) what you have worked for honestly. Like, for that author.
That means teaching kids values and life skills is not enough. You have to teach them about surviving in the online world.
The kids need to be prepared to navigate the digital world with confidence, safety and responsibility.
It’s not that they are not aware or don’t know, but it’s better to equip them to deal with the tech savvy world they live in.
Digital literacy is more than sending emails or checking social media. It includes a whole range of skills that students can learn to enhance their academic performance and improve their career prospects.
1. Understanding Digital Footprints
Once posted, there’s no going back. Children need to understand that whatever they post will remain forever in the digital memory, even if they delete the post. And that it can be traced back to them.
Their inappropriate memes, made in the heat of emotions or meant to hurt someone, can surface later in future during college application review or job interview and can cost them their seat. Not worth it.
You have seen it on news a lot lately how students were being tracked and removed from universities for posting hate messages.
They have to learn to think before they post as it may impact their future, or even their privacy.
2. Online Safety and Privacy
Personal info has to be protected with great care and diligence.
No sharing your name, address, school, passwords or locations.
Before opening any website, check if it’s secure or not. look for “https” or a padlock symbol. Don’t go clicking on suspicious links giving away in 4 to get some cheesy freebie.
Remember:
- Create strong passwords
- Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols
- Follow 2 factor authentications
- No clicking on unknown attachments or opening emails from unknown senders
Warn them about downloading files from unverified sources or worse forwarding it to others.
3. Critical Evaluation of Information
it’s becoming even more difficult now than ever to distinguish real news from the fake ones.
Show the children how they can identify credible sources online, how to make out the difference between fake news, advertisements and genuine content.
And if they find some news, they must cross check the information with other sources before trusting it.
4. Respectful Online Communication
This is for everyone not just the kids. Learning to be respectful in your communication online.
Just because it’s an impersonal interaction doesn’t mean you can’t be kind of polite.
People create profiles without their names and hide behind economy to spew venom. Toxic comments, trolling, cyber bullying, are all different forms of negative behaviour. It has big com the weapon of the faceless.
Kids have to understand the consequences of such behaviour.
5. Using Technology Productively
You can’t avoid it but you can surely control it. Show them how to balance their screen time and offline time.
Encourage them to participate in physical, real time activities like sports or reading or pursuing some hobby or spending some gadget free time with the family.
It would be better if they went to the library for researching for their studies but since that’s not happening, show them how to use these research tools. Go through some of them randomly to check them out.
Teach them how to organise their digital notes and study schedules. You can only hope that it’s not as cluttered as their room or study area.
The earlier they understand that technology is a tool to assist them and not a replacement for their personal interactions, the better they will learn to use it properly.
6. Appropriate Content Consumption
This is for the parents. Monitor what pages they are opening or visiting. Keep a track to check if the content is age appropriate or not.
Be unapologetic about using parental controls and filters. It’s your responsibility to ensure a safe browsing experience to your child.
Instead of enforcing rules, discuss why certain filters are in place. Talk to them about it so they get to learn firsthand from you.
7. What Not to Do Online
Teach them to be conscious of their online activities. Sharing sensitive information or photos or videos is a big no-no. You never know how it gets leaked.
Explain the need to avoid engaging in harmful online challenges or trends. They can be dangerous to their mental and physical health. Remember the “Blue Whale Challenge”?
‘Stranger danger’ is applicable here too. No responding to strangers or suspicious messages, doesn’t matter what the content.
The good news is that more and more parents are becoming conscious of the ill effects of over-use and over-dependence of the gadgets and are taking steps to regulate it.
One of the parents of my students has implemented a screen-free time during the evenings. That’s when the complete family spends time together with no screens, only good old interactions.
And she says she’s noticed a positive change in the behaviour of her child. Try it out, no harm trying out something that can help.
This is just the beginning but if the foundation is strong, the kids will be better prepared to deal with the online world.
Children will be the citizens of the digital world; there’s no denying that. The best you can do as parents and educators is teach them how to navigate this world safely and responsibly while ensuring their personal and academic growth.
By building a strong foundation of digital literacy, you can breathe easy when children become responsible and confident digital citizens.
Time for that conversation about safe and mindful technology use.
