People never stop learning. The world is moving fast, and changes affect our lives. Learning is the only option to be on track with today’s world. If we can’t use the information we receive, we fail as professionals and humans.
Our families live in a complex digital world, and we need to learn and gain IT, creative thinking, and logical skills to reach our goals. We use tech devices and social media in every aspect of our lives, even for communication. So, we need to be polite online as we need to be polite in real life.
In this article, we’re going to look at ways to teach your children digital ethics.
What is Social Media
Social media are platforms meant for communication and interaction between huge groups of people online.
We use social media to chat and share pictures, content, and comments. Our kids socialize on these apps as well.
Teach Kids How to Behave Online
Teaching our kids good manners defines their actions online and offline. Kids’ behavior must be the same in the real and digital world. Having a good personality is something children can and must learn at a young age. Things that our kids must always keep in mind when communicating online are:
- Be good to others;
- Respect other users;
- Don’t hurt other users with inappropriate and harmful comments;
- Recognize and report inappropriate behavior with harmful intentions from other users like cyberbullies and online predators;
- Keep your private information safe;
- Keep your profile private;
Kids’ social media behavior also affects real life because whatever they post (good or bad) is archived, and someone can use that against them in the future.
What is Online Respect?
To explain what online respect is, first, we must know what respect is. Having respect means accepting other people as they are, treating them well, and not arguing with them if they have an opposite opinion. Respect means trust, healthy relationships, and lots of friendships.
Teaching our kids to respect others makes them good members of the community. Being respectful both offline and online is a must.
Why is it Important to Respect Others Online?
By respecting others, our kids can build a positive digital presence and use tech for development.
We don’t want our kids to become bullies and offend others online. We expect our kids to behave normally, with moral, ethical, and respectful manners to others. Being positive and friendly online is as important as being good in real life.
How Can our Kids Show Respect to Others Online?
We quickly went over what respect is. There are many ways children show respect to others online, such as:
- Respecting others’ personalities and identities;
- Showing empathy for others’ feelings;
- Valuing and accepting others’ ideas and thoughts.
- Debating instead of arguing
- Thinking before posting or writing comments;
- Not sharing information, videos, or pictures without permission;
- Not humiliating others;
Online respect is mutual, and your children should show respect to those who show it to them. We must educate our children to build a friendly and healthy digital world.
How to Teach Children to be Respectful on Social Media
We should slowly and patiently teach our kids to show empathy to others, be kind and consider other users’ feelings and needs.
Relationships between people online and offline are based on feedback. If you hurt someone, expect that someone will hurt you back. It is like a circle without a way out.
Always advise your kids to think about the consequences of their actions on others. Teach them to walk in others’ shoes before making comments. Shortly, you need to make the following things a habit in your children from a young age:
- Review your thoughts and look at yourself in the mirror before commenting on something;
- Don’t act impulsively without thinking about the reaction of others;
- Don’t think in a high manner of yourself;
- Always look at people as your friends;
- Never use bad language;
- Be polite and friendly even if someone is making fun of you;
- Kindly block anyone that is bothering you;
Also, kids need to understand why good behavior online is highly recommended. Studies show that about 23% of students have been rude to others online. Teach your children not to be part of that 23%.
Monitoring Kids’ Activity Online
Monitoring our kids’ activities allows us to be sure of how they use social media. Installing parental control apps is a great way to remotely monitor your children’s online activity.
These apps allow you to see what your child comments on social media, whom they’re messaging, and what is their opinion on common topics.
Also, with parental control programs, you can limit children’s screen time, block apps, and track your children’s location. Some great parental control apps are Qustodio, Panda Dome Family, mSpy, Google Family Link, etc.
Model Respectful Online Behavior
You may ask yourself, what is the best way children can learn to be good people online? Of course, it’s by setting yourself as an example.
You can’t expect your children to be friendly and polite online if you aren’t. The process of making children kindhearted people should start when they’re toddlers, even babies!
Firstly teach them to be nice and helpful in the real world, and later transfer it to the online world.
Communication With Your Children
Communication is key when building healthy habits in your children. Sit them down, talk about past experiences, and discuss how your children would handle difficult situations. Having a trustful and close relationship with your children is crucial for today’s modern family.
Conclusion
Every day your children communicate with other people both online and offline. Having positive behavior and respecting others is a must. So, investing your time in making your children good and respectful people is worth it!
FAQ
What is social media Etiquette for kids?
It is a set of rules your children must follow online. This includes being respectful and kind to others, not using bad language, and being aware of others’ feelings.
Should parents be friends with their kids on social media?
Yes, they should. Social media should be a place where people share their experiences and not a place where children can hide from their parents.
Is it good for kids to make friends online?
It’s good only if they don’t share pictures or personal information. So, keep track especially of your children’s online friends because predators often hide themselves behind fake profiles.
How to find out if my child is disrespectful on social media?
- Keep track of their online activities. You can always use parental control apps or manually check what they post on social media.
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