Digital Balance
Family Tips for Digital Balance
Social Media
While there are many sites that students use and this list can change very quickly, what is important to keep in mind is the way in which sites are able to bring together a networked community.
How do we help our children negotiate through, analyze and evaluate the content so they
make informed decisions? For example, consider Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp. They can be great communities where you learn many things, share your creativity and comment on others’ work. They can also be places where negative comments run rampant. Consider this article, Children Ignore Age Limits by Opening Social Media Accounts. While this is a UK article, it is fairly common to hear in our schools, young students saying they have a personal Facebook or other social media account.
Relationships and Communication
Ask your child where their digital conversations reside or that of their friends. A great conversation starter.
Relationships are the most important factor in keeping communication lines open between yourself and your child.
Getting to Know the Apps your Kids are Using!
Instagram is an online mobile photo, video and social networking service that allows public or private sharing on the app, as well as through other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Flickr.
Learn about Instagram here.
Questions to think about.
- How is using this connected to instant feedback?
- What might be potential risks using this app?
Talk with your family.
What images might be ok to post? What might not? How will children deal with images that are posted by friends? How can a family empower children with knowledge to make decisions?
