3 minute read
LISA ROTHFIELD-KIRSCHNER
Author of How We Got Cyber Smart | Amazon Bestseller
Olivia’s and Jack’s learnings about social media
Olivia and Jack’s school has organised a program for all the grade 5 and grade 6 students to learn about social media and how to use it safely. Their school said it was important to learn how to use social media safely before secondary school, because that is when most children start using it to connect with each other. Olivia and Jack think social media is cool because they can connect with people all over the world, so they are really excited about the program. Most of their friends have been talking about it at lunch time. Some of their friends already have social media accounts, but Olivia and Jack are still not allowed to use social media because their parents’ rule is that they have no access until the recommended age, which is generally 13+.
The following week Olivia and Jack started the program. They were told it used a simulated social media platform that was not online but connected only to pupils in their school year. They quickly created their profiles and started sharing pictures and messages. Olivia was invited to join a group with some of the other girls from her basketball team, but got upset because not all the girls were invited. Olivia sent a message to the group and asked why some of the girls had not been invited and this caused some drama. The girl who had set up the group sent Olivia an unkind message saying it was her group, she would decide who was in it, and telling Olivia to butt out! Olivia was quite upset about this and decided not to take part in the group’s chat. The teacher saw the chatter in the group and explained to all the girls that this was one of the drawbacks of social media. “Some kids will feel excluded, and we should be mindful of how others will feel when we exclude them,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jack ended up in a group chat with some of the grade 6 boys who were sending silly photos of themselves. The teacher saw this and said “be careful about the photos you post and share on the internet. If you don’t want anyone else to see your photos, you should not post them. Once your photo is online on the real internet it is impossible to remove, and you never know where it will end up.”
Olivia and Jack went home that day feeling rather sad. Their mother noticed they were a bit mopey and sat down with them to talk about what had happened at school in the social media class. She spoke to them about the importance of being safe on social media and echoed what the teacher had said. She told them to never share personal information with strangers and to be careful about what they posted. She also reminded them they would not always be included in group chats and that ‘likes’ and followers were no measure of self‑worth.
Olivia’s and Jack’s learnings about social media
• Only accept friend requests from people you know and think carefully about what you post.
• Never share personal information or any images/ photos that are inappropriate because you never know where they might end up.
• It is not nice to intentionally exclude friends from chat groups.
Olivia and Jack felt that when they were old enough to start using social media they would have some knowledge about how to use it safely, and knew they would use it for good. They were looking forward to following accounts that shared interesting information about topics they were interested in like basketball, science and chess. They wanted to connect with friends who inspired them and shared similar interests.
Their teacher was impressed by how Olivia and Jack had used the social media program at school and reminded them that, while social media has its risks, it also has the power to bring people together and make a positive impact. Olivia and Jack learned that social media could be both fun and safe if used responsibly.
Message to parents
Check the recommended age for social media platforms and help your children navigate them so they use social media in a safe and responsible manner. Talk to them about the risks associated with social media and what to do if something goes wrong. If something does go wrong, do not blame your child. Help them deal with the issue and get professional help, or get law enforcement involved if there is a situation that requires this. Start the conversation early.
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byRecommended Family zone
How We Got Cyber Smart addresses cyber safety, cyber bullying and online safety for elementary school ‑ aged children. READ NOW