BE DIGITALLY
SAVVY
These days, most of your communication with your friends takes place over text, DMs, and social media. You’re so used to this way of ‘talking’ that you might not filter a lot of what you type - your thoughts go straight from brain to thumbs to screen. Why is this a problem, you ask? Consider this text exchange between two friends, Alexa and Sienna. A: “Did you see what Sophie was wearing today? Sooo trashy <puke emoji> She is so thirsty lol. TBH nobody in her squad even likes her.” S: “Omg, ur harsh! Lol.” A: “Hey keep that low key, K?” Beyond the fact that someone is being meanly discussed, Alexa has now left a permanent record of her judgments. She thought she was safe expressing this to Sienna, who is one of her BFFs A few weeks later, though, Alexa and Sienna have a falling out. This brief text exchange is no longer on her radar, until she sees Sienna and Sophie hanging over lunch one day at school. Anxiously, she scrolls back on the text exchange and silently freaks out. What if Sienna shares this? Alexa never wanted to humiliate Sophie, she was just engaging in some ‘harmless gossip’ with her friend..
10
The text exchange above is a minor example of how easy it is to get carried away in the digital space - and how quickly our screens can turn against us. But it gets worse when you consider that sexual photos, videos, and conversations now take place across the digital medium (known as sexting). Research shows that 15% of teens say they send sexts and 27% receive them. But here’s the kicker: a new study shows that although most people who engage in sexting expect their messages to remain private, nearly one in four people are sharing the sexual messages they receive. Assume that anything sent via text is documented forever—including photos! Anything that gets sent to someone else can be shared, forwarded or screenshot. Once you click send, you have officially lost control over your message. Public Safety Canada recommends that when using the internet, ask yourself: Is it legal? Is it hurtful or embarrassing to someone else? Is it harmful to my or someone else’s reputation? Does it put personal information at risk? By asking ourselves these questions, we can avoid hurting others, humiliating ourselves, and exposing our private information to the wrong people. References
• www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/indepth/teen-texting/art-20046833
• www.iphonelife.com/content/texting-tips-kids-5-rules-keeping-yourkids-safe-drama-free
• www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/teen-angst/201103/sexting-teens • www.time.com/5172906/sexting-messages-teens/
• www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160804141036.htm
• www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/cmpgns/cmpgn-02/index-en.aspx
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