Parenting the Digital Generation
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The Parenting the Digital Generation workshop looks at the various activities kids love to do online and offers tips and strategies for everything from Facebook privacy settings, online shopping, cyberbullying, to protecting your computer from viruses.
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Parenting the Digital Generation
- 1. Parenting the Digital Generation © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 2. Kids need: Parental involvement Open communication Digital literacy skills © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 4. What do youth want from the Internet? Entertainment Information Socialization Personal space © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 6. 38 per cent of adults think teens should spend less time online…. …23 per cent of teens agree! © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 7. 1. Curb time spent online by: • Keeping the Internet out of kid’s rooms • Setting rules about Internet use 2. Kids under 10 should not surf alone © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 8. Should you be worried? • Replacing other activities • Negatively affecting relationships • School work suffering • Mood swings • Neglecting hygiene © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 9. “Adults just don’t get it. We’re surrounded by porn everywhere we go. It’s everywhere – in the movies we watch, the magazines we read, the music videos we see.” (13-year-old boy, Toronto) © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 10. Male teens are most likely to frequently seek out online pornography © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 11. • Provide balanced information • Use sex in media as a conversation-starter • Direct your kids to good informational sites about sex and relationships c © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 12. • 30% of teens have a Facebook friend they haven’t met face to face • 70% of those unmet Facebook friends are a friend of someone they do know Source: PEW Internet: Teens, Privacy and Online Social Networks, 2007 © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 13. Kids who are most at risk of online sexual exploitation: • 13- to 15-year-old girls • Boys who are gay or who are questioning their sexuality • Engage in online discussions with strangers • Talk about sex online • Publicly post personal and intimate information © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 14. Online Shopping © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 15. Using gift cards makes online transactions less risky because the only credit at risk is whatever is left on the card © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 16. • 94% of kids’ favourite sites include marketing material • The Wall Street Journal found kids’ sites install 30% more tracking technology on users’ computers than sites popular with adults © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 17. Technical tips • Set up dummy e-mail addresses when registering for sites • Turn on privacy settings in browser • Upgrade to a more secure browser • Install adblocking software © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 18. Many kids feel that illegally downloading an album is not as serious as shoplifting a CD © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 19. Downloading files and following unreliable links are two of the most common ways in which computers are compromised by malware. © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 20. Information Seeking © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 22. http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ http://allaboutexplorers.com/ © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 24. Youth need to apply the same habits of skepticism to the email messages they receive – even those that appear to come from friends – as they do to the information they seek out for school. © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 27. Virtual Worlds © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 28. Facebook is the overwhelming choice of young Canadians for social networking © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 29. • Get familiar with Facebook yourself • Get a Facebook tour from your kids • Be a co-learner with your kids © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 31. “My friends will have friends that I don’t know. You look at them… Then you feel bad because they’re like, ‘Oh, well, I just saw you in this play, be my [Facebook] friend.’ And then you’re like, ‘Okay.’ “I mean, I’m not really making new friends, I’m just not hurting people’s feelings.” -Middle school girls discuss Facebook friends © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 32. Tagging Photos © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 33. Examples of rules • Only add people you know as friends • Don’t spread rumours • Don’t use a real photo as your main profile picture • Use a nickname or first name • Don’t add apps without talking to us first • Don’t upload photos of people without asking first • Don’t share passwords © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 34. • How do you socialize when you can’t control the Context? Time? Place? Audience? Tone? • Handle both your own and others’ information with care © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 35. Online Drama • Totally anonymous harassment is not usually very upsetting • 19% of teens have been targets of online cruelty • 41% of teens have experienced negative offline consequences of things that happened online • It’s not always black and white © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 36. Cyberbullying – signs to watch for: • Avoiding using the Internet and cell phones • Appearing angry or depressed after using these • Withdrawing from friends and family • Not wanting to talk about online activities • Trying to hide the screen when people are in the room © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 37. Personal Space “I hadn’t realized that this was meant to be read by everyone in the world except me!” – Mother whose daughter was upset because she had read her blog. © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 38. Balance respect for privacy with protection © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 39. Teach your kids how to make sure their personal spaces are as private as they want them to be © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 40. MediaSmarts’ Internet awareness resources for parents © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 41. MediaSmarts’ digital literacy games for kids © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 42. You are the single most powerful resource to help your kids get the most out of the digital world © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 43. Eventually our kids are going to be making their own choices online. We want to be the little voice in their heads that prompts them to pause and reflect – and be the people they can go to, if things go wrong. © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 44. mediasmarts.ca Vision To ensure children and youth possess the necessary critical thinking skills and tools to understand and actively engage with media. © 2012 MediaSmarts
- 45. This tutorial was made possible with financial support from Bell © 2012 MediaSmarts
Editor's Notes
- Welcome to Parenting the Digital Generation! This presentation has been created to help you manage your kids’ online lives.
- Kids today are going online at younger ages – which means that parents have to get involved in their digital lives much sooner than they used to. To keep kids safe online, many parents rely on parental controls and filters. These are helpful, but like training wheels and bicycle helmets – they protect against some scrapes, but are only part of the bigger picture of teaching kids to ride and safely navigate traffic. As with cycling, parental involvement is needed to help kids learn how to properly use the Internet. This is important because as kids get older, they are more likely to access the Web from places away from home. _________________________ Image Source: CCKmom, Creative Commons Attribute 2.0 Licence <http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookiecrumbkids/228824637/>
- Although we may sometimes feel out of our depth when it comes to technology, we have an important role to play in helping our kids safely navigate the online spaces and activities that they enjoy. To do this, we need to learn as much as we can, but we don’t have to be technical wizards.
- There are four main things that kids want from the Internet: - Entertainment, - socialization, - information and - personal space. [1] These often overlap in online spaces. For example, on social networking sites teens will play games, ask friends for help with schoolwork, catch up with their pals and generally “hang out” – often simultaneously. [2] _________________________ [1] Lerner, R. M., & L.D. Steinberg. Handbook of adolescent psychology . John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2009. [2] Zamaria, C. and F. Fletcher. Canada Online! The Internet, media and emerging technologies: Uses, attitudes, trends and international comparisons 2007. Canadian Internet Project, 2008. <http://www.canadianinternetproject.ca/en/publications.htm>
- For kids and teens – and many adults as well – the Internet is a one-stop, on demand place to play.
- Given the endless hours of amusement the Internet provides, kids need to learn how to balance online fun with responsibilities at home and school. Spending too much time online is one of the most common criticisms parents have about their kids’ Internet use.
- A simple way parents can take charge of excessive Internet use is to keep cell phones and computers out of their kids’ bedrooms: this reduces time spent online by half. [1] It also opens up more opportunities for talking with your kids about their digital lives when they’re online in common areas of the home. _________________________ [1] MediaSmarts, Young Canadians in a Wired World , 2005. <h ttp://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/publication-report/full/YCWWII-student-survey.pdf >
- Parents are often concerned about how much time their kids spend playing video games, especially online – but spending a lot of time game playing isn’t necessarily a problem by itself. The real question is whether gaming has an adverse effect on kids’ lives, and whether or not they feel in control of their game playing: in a 2009 study, eleven per cent of Canadian youth said they did not feel they could quit gaming without help. [1] If you are worried, there are some red flags that can help to identify when ‘too much’ may be a real problem: - Are your child’s relationships outside the game suffering? - Is game-playing affecting your child’s grades? - Does he seem unable to stop, even when he knows there’s a problem? - Does he get upset or have mood swings when he can’t play? - Does he seem not to care about his personal hygiene or living space? [2] If your child demonstrates many of these signs, you may want to seek professional help. Research has shown that problematic game-play is often associated with other issues, such as ADHD; there’s also evidence that it can be effectively managed by teaching youth time-management skills. [3] _________________________ [1] Gladwell, Carole and Dr. Janice Currie. Online Gaming: Child’s Play or Obsession? Kids Help Phone, September 2009. [2] Gaon, Thomas. "Psychopathologie des jeux en ligne", Cliniques des technologies de l’information et de la communication Carnet/PSY hors-série , ed. Sylvain Missonnier, November 2007. [3] Tolchinsky, Anatol and Stephen D. Jefferson. “Problematic Video Game Play in a College Sample and Its Relationship to Time Management Skills and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptomology.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 14:9 (2011), 489-496. doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0315.
- Another problem with spending lots of time online is the increased chance of stumbling into adult content – either by accident or on purpose. Because of this, we recommend that kids under ten be supervised when they surf the Net. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that kids are much more likely to be exposed to sexual material through magazines, TV and music than they are through websites and video games. For example, the ads shown here are for jeans, soap and toilet paper. In fact, compared to other media the Internet is actually the least common way kids are exposed to sexual material. [1] _________________________ [1] Jayson, Sharon. “ Kids see more sex on TV than online, research suggests”. USA Today , August 8, 2011. < http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/story/2011/08/Kids-see-more-sex-on-TV-than-online-research-suggests/49843626/1>
- While most of the sexually charged content youth encounter may be coming from other media, research shows that male teens seek out online pornography in large numbers. For example, one-third of boys in an Alberta study said they have watched pornographic films “too many times to count”. [1] So it is important to understand this is a common online activity for many teens. While we know that young people are accessing sexual content, what we don’t yet know is what impact it may have on the long-term attitudes and behaviours of youth who get most of their information about sexuality from porn. _________________________ [1] “One In Three Boys Heavy Porn Users, Study Shows,” Science Daily , February 25, 2007. < http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070223142813.htm>
- We know from surveys that youth are very interested in getting credible, reliable information about sexuality, and that they value the Internet as a source. [1] Parents can help their kids learn about healthy sexuality – and counter pornographic imagery and sexualized media-portrayals – by leading them to good information about sexuality and by talking with them about healthy relationships. These conversations can help parents tackle what is often a prickly topic by doing it in a series of casual discussions, as opposed to having that ‘one big talk’ when teens start dating. You can back up your personal point of view with good online information. For example, sexualityandu.ca is a valuable resource for both teens and parents that answers questions about sex and relationships in an age-appropriate, research-based, medically sound, and engaging style. [2] _________________________ [1] Flicker, Sarah et al.. Sexpress: The Toronto Teen Survey Report . Planned Parenthood Toronto, 2009. [2] Sexualityanduc.ca <http://www.sexualityandu.ca/>
- Another key concern of parents is online predators. While we hear a lot in the media about ‘stranger danger’ on the Internet, it’s important to know that teens are far more likely to use social networking sites and cell phones to chat with friends than to seek out people they don’t know. Also, kids who have online friends they haven’t met offline usually meet them through someone they know, so the true number of ‘real’ strangers they make contact with is very low.
- Contrary to popular belief, when sexual solicitation happens online it’s usually between people who are close in age – not between adults and kids. Also, most teens generally cope well with unwanted solicitations by ignoring them or blocking the sender. There are some kids who are more at risk for being sexually exploited online: 13- to 15-year-old girls are most vulnerable, especially those who put themselves into risky situations by engaging in online discussions with strangers, by flirting and talking about sex online, and by publicly posting personal and intimate information. Boys who are gay or who are questioning their sexuality are also at heightened risk, particularly if they also engage in these other risky behaviours. We need to keep in mind, though, that these kids are not at risk just because they’re online – they are highly likely to be involved in risk-taking behaviours offline as well.
- One potential area of online risk that gets much less attention than ‘stranger danger’ is online shopping. Using reseller sites like Craigslist and eBay is a popular activity for adults and kids – but mixed in with the bargains are lots of scams. So some cyber smarts are needed to judge who you’re buying from. Luckily, these sites make it fairly easy for consumers to do this. This includes tools that display a seller’s track record and certification seals. Remember to click through any seals to make sure they are the real thing: scam sites will often put the images of them on their pages to look more legitimate. Your browser also signals whether any financial information you send to make a purchase is secure, by displaying a lock or “HTTPS” in the address bar of your computer screen. Above and beyond all these indicators, the old saying remains true: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is!
- There are other things parents can do to make online shopping more secure for their kids. For example, many of the companies where kids and teens buy things online have gift cards which can be pre-paid and redeemed later. Using gift cards makes online transactions less risky because the only credit at risk is whatever is left on the card.
- It’s also good to remember that not all online shopping happens on e-commerce sites. While many commercial kids’ websites appear to be free, companies are still getting something back. “Free” content makes money by letting companies advertise products, collect information and build relationships with young consumers. Sites will often offer a “free” basic experience but make you pay for add-ons or premium memberships to access all the features of the site. Often, the content itself is the ad, disguised as a game. This is when critical thinking skills become important. You build these skills in your kids by asking questions about their favourite commercial sites, such as: - Who pays to keep this site running? - Why are they just giving it away for free? - What are they trying to sell me? - How much of the personal information they’re asking for is necessary? - Why do they want this information? - Am I going to need to spend money on extra things?
- Another concern on commercial websites is privacy. The first thing many sites want before they let kids play is an email address. If you worry about your kids being tracked by marketers or getting spam, consider setting up a Web-based Hotmail or Gmail account for them to use just for this purpose. This account will act as a filter and can simply be closed or abandoned when it’s no longer needed. Most computers come with an Internet browser already installed, but there are other options. Firefox and Chrome, which you can download for free online, have many safety and privacy features to control tracking through cookies and malware, and block ads. Whichever browser you use, it’s important to keep it up-to-date by regularly upgrading to the most recent version. These technical measures will keep your computer secure from spam, tracking software and banner ads, but kids still need to learn to recognize the ads that are blended into the “free” content they enjoy so much.
- The idea of ‘free’ is important to talk about with kids because so much has been made freely available online that we’ve come to expect this. What’s more, some illegal sites for watching pirated shows can look polished enough to make visitors think they’re the real thing. Unfortunately, this isn’t always an honest mistake: many kids feel that illegally downloading an album is less wrong than shoplifting a CD. [1] _________________________ [1] Wingrove, T., A. L. Korpas & V. Weisz. “Why were millions of people not obeying the law? Motivational influences on non-compliance with the law in the case of music piracy,” Psychology, Crime & Law , 17:3 (2011), 261-276.
- Ethics aside, there are a number of good reasons for responsible downloading. To begin with, it supports the creators of online content; as well, it reduces the risk that your computer may become infected by malicious programs and files. Downloading files, as well as following unreliable links, are two of the most common ways in which computers are compromised by malware. Kids need to be taught from an early age not to click any links or download any files that they do not know for certain are legitimate.
- Exercising critical thinking about Internet content is essential in determining if online information is worthwhile or trustworthy. While there is a lot of misinformation online, there’s too much good information out there to dismiss the Internet as a reliable source. It just takes some know-how to get the most out of a Web search.
- Even smart kids can be fooled. One teacher tells the story of a couple of his Grade 5 students who learned a lesson about double-checking their facts when they were working on a project. Because they were strong students, he was very surprised when they asked if they could include in their display a picture of a penis bone from a Sasquatch that they had found online . Of course, the website they found it on was bogus, but these students were totally duped. Luckily this was corrected before they got their final grade! The site where the girls got this information is an example of a parody site – a site that uses humour to have a little fun, to make a political statement, or to illustrate the importance of authenticating online information.
- Some teachers have designed websites like “Save the Tree Octopus” and “All About Explorers” to teach kids to take what they find online with a grain of salt. To help your own children do this, you might want to visit some of these sites and see how long it takes for them to catch on that these aren’t the real deal. Information that’s clearly false is easier to spot than information that has been tweaked, so kids need to graduate quickly from recognizing things that are obviously fake to spotting false content that is more subtle.
- For example, when doing homework kids could stumble across hate sites which disguise themselves as reputable Web destinations – these are sometimes called “ cloaked ” sites. A quick look at Martinlutherking.org shows what appears to be a credible resource – but it’s really a subtle hate site, designed by the U.S.-based white supremacist organization Stormfront.
- Kids don’t necessarily have to go looking for misinformation – scams and hoaxes may be delivered direct to their email inboxes. Whether it’s a chain letter spreading a dubious claim, or a phishing email looking for their financial information, young people need to apply the same habits of skepticism to the messages they receive – even those that appear to come from friends – as they do to the information they seek out for school.
- Even though some schools caution against it, Wikipedia is often a first stop for many students doing homework. Teachers are understandably cautious about Wikipedia because its content is not formally edited – but this resource can be as good as any other if you know how to judge what you find. An easy activity to help your kids learn this is to open a Wikipedia entry and make some edits. Every article has a tab at the top which reads ‘edit this page’. You can click on it and edit the contents, even if you don’t have an account. This activity is a great “aha!” moment for kids of all ages because it shows both the greatest weakness and greatest strength of Wikipedia. The site is vulnerable to bias from its contributors, but readers are also empowered to correct it – a responsibility many members of the Wikipedia community take very seriously. You can use this as a more general example for the need to double-check online information. You can also help your child assess the credibility of various Wikipedia articles by pointing out the quality indicators that show when an article needs more work. Wikipedia isn’t the only place on the Web that’s not always reliable. Since anyone and everyone can post their views online, it’s always important to ask who’s behind any content.
- Whether they are chatting on social networks, meeting buddies in virtual worlds, or texting on cell phones, kids and teens have embraced the social side of digital life.
- Younger kids love virtual worlds like Club Penguin, Neopets, Fantage and Stardoll. Here they can try out new identities, create their own spaces and interact with people in ways that they can’t offline. Site operators try to keep young visitors safe and happy by monitoring or limiting chat and by not permitting them to share personal information. But, as we know, kids are well able to work around such restrictions, so these features are never foolproof. Kids will often engage in romantic play at these sites. “Spin the fish” is a popular kissing game at Club Penguin (though kisses consist of saying “mwah”) and there is pressure to find another penguin to be your “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” There is no shortage of mean behaviour as well, just as there is in any schoolyard or playground.
- For teens – and sometimes pre-teens – online socializing can be summarized in one word: Facebook. Because Facebook is the overwhelming choice of young Canadians for social networking, we’re going to use it as our example for safety and privacy tips. But these tips apply just as well to any sites where kids and teens share personal information about themselves, connect with others, and write comments in a semi-public setting. Facebook’s success lies in how well it promotes and enhances real world relationships. Most members use their own names and photos not to meet strangers, but to connect online with friends (and family!).
- As a parent, if you aren’t using Facebook or any other social network your kids are on – you should be! If you don’t want to create your own account, ask your teens to walk you through the settings on theirs: you can probably learn how the most important features work in an hour. Just knowing the vocabulary of Facebook is helpful when talking to your kids about what’s happening in their online lives.
- Given how often Facebook and other social networking sites change, you may have to do some digging to keep up with the latest privacy settings. For example, at the bottom of every Facebook page is a “privacy” link that takes you to an explanation of their privacy settings. You can also use online searches to see what others advise or to compare the safety and privacy features of one social networking site over another.
- In addition to understanding Facebook’s privacy features, kids need to exercise judgment and caution when deciding who to socialize with. Many feel pressured to add anyone who asks to be included in their friend list just out of politeness. Regularly deleting, blocking, and limiting Facebook friends is a good way to manage exposure, so kids need to know it’s okay not to say ‘yes’ every time.
- There’s a whole new world of etiquette that our kids need to follow on social networking pages. Tagging photos – where you identify the people in images you’ve posted – can be a real problem for teens, especially when they’re identified in pictures that have been posted without their permission. The general rule of thumb we need to ingrain into our kids is to ask before you tag – and to think twice before posting any photos that might come back to haunt you or your friends later on! Facebook provides instructions on how to remove your name if it has been tagged in a photo – but you have to ask the person who posted it to remove the image itself.
- Once you’ve learned more about how Facebook works, you can discuss some basic ground rules with your kids, such as: - Only add people you know as friends - Don’t spread rumours about people - Don’t use a real photo as your main profile picture (viewable by the entire Web) - Use a nickname or don’t post a last name - Don’t add apps (third party Facebook software, such as polls and games) - Don’t upload a photo of someone else without permission - Don’t share your passwords and don’t ask for another person’s password Even though kids under the age of 13 are not supposed to have Facebook accounts, many do – with or without their parents’ permission – so you need to start talking to your kids about social networking when they’re young.
- Kids are using Facebook and text messaging for the same reasons their parents lived on the telephone when they were teens: to chat and gossip. The difference is that Facebook entries and text messages leave a trail. Because of this, kids should be cautious that what they post could be taken out of context. For example, messages can be copied and shown to people who weren’t meant to see them, a one-word message can come off as abrupt, and sarcasm can get lost in translation. Kids also have a responsibility to behave ethically when handling others’ personal information – whether it’s a text message or a tagged photo. In an age of easy sharing, this is a skill they’ll need for the rest of their networked lives.
- Kids sometimes receive anonymous harassing messages online, but generally these aren’t very upsetting because they can easily be deleted or blocked. Ongoing bullying, however, is much more serious. The word cyberbullying brings to mind the image of an anonymous tormentor and an unfortunate victim, but in reality these roles are seldom so clear cut. The truth is that many kids play both bully and victim. Kids describe this as ‘drama’, where both parties get caught in escalating online and offline warfare. To avoid bullying and drama, kids need to keep in mind the importance of taking care with what is posted and shared online, thinking about the possible consequences of what they are doing, considering the different people who might see what they post, and the ways that someone might misinterpret a message. [1] _________________________ [1] Hinduja, Sameer and Justin W. Patchin. Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention and Response . Cyberbullying Research Center, 2010.
- If you think your child is involved in a bullying relationship online, there are some signs to watch for: - avoiding using the Internet and cell phones, - appearing angry or depressed after using these, - withdrawing from friends and family, - not wanting to talk about online activities, or - trying to hide the screen when people are in the room. If your child is being bullied, the most important thing is to make sure that they feel safe and supported. Help your child to decide on the best course of action, which may include contacting the school (if the bullying involves a fellow student), talking to the other child’s parents, reporting the bullying to the administrators of the service or site where the bullying took place, or contacting the police if there have been threats of violence.
- It may seem odd to talk about personal space in an open and global medium like the Internet. But for many kids and teens, a main attraction is how easy it is to create an online life that is under the radar of adults. This isn’t unusual – teens have always created their own subcultures – but the Internet poses some unique challenges that make setting and respecting privacy boundaries a challenge. One mother talks about the time her 14-year-old daughter created a blog. She heard from other people that it was quite good, so thought she’d check it out herself. When she complimented her daughter on it, the daughter was indignant at this “invasion of her privacy’. Joked the mum – I hadn’t realized that this was meant to be read by everyone in the world except me!
- As a parent, it’s up to you to decide your own comfort level for how much access you want to your child’s online accounts. For most families, trust and communication is more effective than surveillance: there are just too many ways kids can work around this. But we also need to balance respect for privacy with protection. One compromise that seems to work well is asking kids for passwords to their online accounts, on the understanding that they would be used only under the most extreme circumstances. If you decide to use monitoring software because you are concerned about your child’s safety, you should be upfront about it – tell them you are monitoring their activities. Spying on your kids will undermine the relationship of trust you need to build if they want them to come to you if they’re ever in trouble.
- Parents can also help their kids by teaching them to make sure that their personal spaces are as private as they want them to be. When kids create personal spaces, there’s usually an intended audience in mind. Problems come up when what they post reaches unintended audiences . In addition to remembering to ‘think before you post’, kids need to learn how to monitor and manage their online presence. An eye opener for teens who are Facebook members is to visit websites such as Reclaim Privacy (www.reclaimprivacy.org) and Profile Watch (www.profilewatch.org) where they can double-check how exposed their individual profiles are online. Facebook has internal features to do this as well.
- Parents, just like kids, also need good information to feel empowered when it comes to the digital world. To get more information about all the issues that have been covered in this presentation, visit the BeWebAware.ca website. MediaSmarts has also created a fun and informative e-Parenting tutorial to help you manage your family’s online lives.
- The MediaSmarts website also features a variety of games that you can do with your kids to help them build their digital media smarts.
- No matter what, always remember that you are the single most powerful resource to help your kids get the most out of the digital world. Over and over again, kids tell us that when it comes to advice and influence, parents top the list. Parents who clearly establish boundaries and expectations for Internet and cell phone use and who actively talk with their kids about this, increase their children’s receptiveness to safety rules and interventions – even when they are older. [1] Keeping your sense of humour helps as well! _________________________ [1] Byrne, Sahara, Ph.D. & Theodore Lee. “Toward Predicting Youth Resistance to Internet Risk Prevention Strategies,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media , 55:1 (2011), 90-113.
- We’ve talked a lot about the importance of communication in this presentation. This is because we know that eventually our kids are going to be making their own choices online. When they do, we want to be the little voice in their heads that prompts them to pause and reflect – and be the people they can go to, if things go wrong.
- Parenting the Digital Generation was created by MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital and media literacy . MediaSmarts’ vision is to ensure that children and youth possess the necessary critical thinking skills and tools to understand and actively engage with all kinds of media.
- This tutorial was made possible with financial support from Bell.