Cyberbullies (Source: Cam Good: Elijah Smith Elementary, goo.gl/xcyIgC, under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 licence)
If you open yourself to the benefits and opportunities of the internet, you expose yourself to its risks and dangers at the same time. While many mainstream media as well as social media discussions of internet dangers for young people are exaggerated and ill-informed, it’s true that there are some safety issues. It is therefore important to put into place well-considered educational strategies which offer young people guidance on possible risks. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the broader concept of digital wellbeing (including mobile wellbeing), which incorporates components of both physical and mental health. Some ministries and departments of education are now also beginning to consider ways of teaching students not only how to protect themselves, but how to have a positive influence on the people and environment around them when engaging in online interactions.
Digital safety
Traditionally, the greatest risks have been seen as:
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- cyberbullying, which, depending on how it is defined, is regularly found by researchers to affect large numbers of young people
- cyberpredation, which, although a serious crime, affects a relatively small proportion of youth
- exposure to inappropriate material, which, depending on what is considered to be inappropriate, is found to affect varying numbers of young people
The greatest risks are found where conversations are not publicly viewable, such as in interactive social media channels and apps (notably through chat & messaging). Other risks are found in verbal bullying or in the dissemination of embarrassing or hurtful multimedia material on social networking or social sharing platforms. Recently there has been an increase in bullying on gaming platforms. Online displays of self-harm on social platforms and apps, and even self-cyberbullying, are of considerable concern.
Digital privacy
It has become clear that it’s equally important to educate youth to safeguard their privacy online and to be aware that material they post to social networking or social sharing sites may leave a permanent data trail or digital footprint (sometimes also called a digital shadow). In particular, it’s important to advise young people – and indeed, adults – to tighten up their privacy settings on social networking sites, and not to give out personal data unnecessarily. This will help safeguard them from identity theft, as well as offering some protection from cyberbullying and cyberpredation.
Digital reputation
As more and more companies and colleges conduct internet searches on potential candidates, and as more and more people check out online data about individuals they’re doing business with or interacting with on a social or personal level, it’s becoming increasingly important for all of us to manage our digital reputations. It’s vital to remind young people that inappropriate status updates or photos may negatively impact job and life opportunities far into the future while, conversely, evidence of engaged use of web 2.0 or social media tools, including rich PLNs, creative PLEs, or polished e-portfolios, can help create a positive impression of skills and abilities.
Digital wellbeing (& mobile wellbeing)
There is an increasing level of concern about the impact of continuous connectivity on physical and mental health, with issues including blurred vision, back and neck pain, disturbed sleep cycles, the apparent rise of attention disorders and even internet addiction, and anxiety and stress. Developing attentional literacy and other related digital literacies may offer some help. Amongst other things, considering when, where and why to switch off digital devices is important for everyone, young or old.
A positive digital influence
Traditionally, education about digital safety has focused on protecting individuals from online dangers and risks, but recent discussions have begun to focus on how students might be encouraged to proactively develop a positive presence or influence online, as seen notably in the Singaporean Ministry of Education’s Cyber Wellness principles and the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s Respect principles.
Educational resources
Fortunately, a number of governments and other organisations are producing valuable educational materials for a variety of age groups and contexts. Most of these deal primarily with issues of digital safety and digital privacy. The following list contains some useful resources:
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- 23 Great Lesson Plans for Internet Safety (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Be Internet Awesome (Google, USA)
- Better Internet for Kids (European Schoolnet, EU)
- Choose Privacy Week Video (20K)
- Clean Up Your Digital Footprint (A Platform for Good)
- The Comprehensive Guide to Managing Social Profiles in College (Accredited Online Schools, USA)
- COVID: Tips for staying safe online during the COVID-19 pandemic (Office of the eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- Cyberbullies, Haters, and Trolls (Common Sense Media, USA)
- Cyberbullying Research Center (USA)
- Dealing with Digital Distraction in the Classroom (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Digital Citizenship Curriculum (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Digital Compass (Common Sense, USA)
- Digital Passport (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Digital Tattoo (University of British Columbia, Canada)
- eSafety Commissioner (eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- eSafety Commissioner [ClickView] (eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- eSafety Commissioner [Facebook] (eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- eSafety Office [Twitter] (eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- eSafety Office [Vimeo] (eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- eSafety Parents (Office of the eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- eSafety Toolkit for Schools (Office of the eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- Get Safe Online (UK)
- Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children under 5 Years of Age (WHO)
- How to Handle the Violent Videos at Your Kid’s Fingertips (Common Sense Media, USA)
- Kids’ Pledge (SafeKids.com, USA)
- Learn How to Protect Yourself Online (Australian Govt)
- NetSmartzKids (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, USA)
- News & Media Literacy Resource Center (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines for All Australians (Dept of Health, Australia)
- Practising Cyber Wellness (Ministry of Education, Singapore)
- Privacy and Internet Safety (Common Sense Media, USA)
- Protect Your Students’ Data and Privacy (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Schools Cyber Security Challenges (Grok Academy, Australia)
- SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) in Digital Life Resource Center (Common Sense Education, USA)
- Social Media TestDrive (Cornell University, USA)
- Talking about ‘Sexting’ (Common Sense Media, USA)
- That’s Not Cool (FVPF, Ad Council & OVW, USA)
- ThinkUKnow (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, UK)
- ThinkUKnowAUS (ThinkUKnow.org.au, Australia)
- Turning Students’ Empathy into Action with Digital Tools (Common Sense Education, USA)
- What is Doxxing (Comparitech, UK)
- Where We Stand: Screen Time (AAP, USA)
- Young and eSafe (eSafety Commissioner, Australia)
- Your Rings of Responsibility (Common Sense Education, USA)
More references on this topic are available on the Publications on Digital Learning page.
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