Teaching our Kids Digital Responsibility
Launch the media gallery 1 playerParents/Guardians~ Do you know what your children are doing online, who they’re messaging, and what they’re posting?
With so many social networks available now, it’s hard to keep track of what our students are doing online. As educators, we provide guidelines on acceptable social media behavior in and out of school, but we need your help also. The saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” rings truer today more than ever. Rose Hill Schools encourages parents to partner with us to ensure that students are safe and responsible digital citizens. Tik Tok, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and other applications can be wonderful tools for enriching our lives and building relationships when used responsibly, but social media can also be a hazardous environment for young people.
Let's work together on teaching our kids digital responsibility!
PARENTS
- Monitor your children’s online activities and establish boundaries with their screen time.
- Take away their electronic devices if they are caught mistreating others online.
- Teach them how to use technology responsibly (consider developing a “device agreement” for family members to sign. The Healthy Children website has a great toolkit to help you create a media plan).
- Find out who they are speaking to and making friends with online. Ask questions.
- Learn how to use the technology that your children are using in order to get a perspective of their online world/presence.
- Set a good example through your own virtual behavior.
- Stress that they can be held responsible for their actions. Many students don’t realize that their remarks, posts, and conduct can result in consequences at school and even have legal ramifications. In addition, social media posts can impact their college admissions and future job opportunities.
- SmartSocial.com has some free digital resources to help guide you about the current platforms our kids are using. And if you want to become a member, you can unlock more resources as well.
- Talk to them about our STUDENTS advice below.
- If you still need some help in chatting with your kids about safe social media practices, consider the guide on the FTC website.
STUDENTS
- Think before posting. Ask yourself, “will this have a negative effect on my reputation?"
- Know what cyberbullying is and realize the laws and consequences that are involved when you are caught. In Kansas, state statute 72-6147 will address this.
- Avoid posting inappropriate photos online or messaging them to others because whatever you put online, is out there forever and someone WILL use it against you. Even if you think the photo or message has been deleted, it is impossible to completely erase it from the internet and cloud services.
- Consider the source. Not everything you read online is true.
- What would Grandma do? Treat everyone with the respect of how you would want to be treated. Ask yourself if you would want your parents, your teachers, your neighbors, your future bosses, or even your grandparents to see your post. If not, don’t post it!
- Bullying is a negative way of coping. If you feel like you have bullied someone recently or in the past, it’s not too late to change!
Most teens and many preteens have some form of social media and they visit these sites every day. We want all of our students to behave responsibly on social media. We appreciate your attention to this important issue. Monitoring your child’s online and social media behavior is key to preventing social media usage from becoming an issue.
As always, if you or your child sees something or hears something, please say something! If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, please consider contacting the Kansas Children's Service League hotline!