Teach kids to be responsible cyber citizens before they go online.

Why do your kids need digital life skills?

My husband recently explained the concept of "big brother is watching you" to our kids. (Details of the origin of this term can be found on Wikipedia.) With the reduction in the cost of owning a Smart Phone with unlimited internet and social media browsing capabilities, more people have photo and video sharing opportunities. Everything uploaded to the internet can be copied, edited, forwarded, searched, traced and viewed. There are web sites such as Wayback Machine that record and archive web pages so even if you have removed text or images from a web page they could still have been recorded in an archive.

You are now raising your kids in the public eye and the internet community is, as we all know, just like the bricks and mortar world, frequented by bullies, baddies and ill mannered people. Actually, there are most likely more in cyberspace as humans are less likely to be empathetic in an environment where they can be anonymous and are not communicating face to face.

How do you keep your kids safe online and encourage them to be good digital citizens?

You have to empower them by educating them, raise them with good old fashioned values and lead by example.

Digital education

Explain to your child that before she may have a cell phone and operate the internet without adult supervision, she needs to be able to understand how these tools work. She also needs to be old enough to exercise self control, understand what a reputation is and what you do now or how you behave in the public eye, could have a direct impact on your future.

Here are some online subjects to discuss with your child:

• How the internet works
• How social media web sites work
• Privacy settings, how to set them and why
• Online advertising and baiting with FREE stuff
• Online games, logins and subscribing to upgrades

If you are not familiar with any of the above points, you need to educate yourself first. Visit Common Sense Media for tips, advice and solutions for families in a 24/7 media world.

Old fashioned values

If you teach your kids to be good, smart citizens in the real world, they will be good, smart cyberspace citizens too!

• Teach them honesty, integrity, empathy, loyalty, self control and respect.
• Teach them to question everything and check the facts before they believe or retell a story.

Lead by example

Children follow and emulate their parents. Be the person you want them to be.

• Before you take someone's picture or video them and upload it to Facebook, ask their permission. Let your kids see you doing so. Ask your children's permission if the picture or video is of them if they are old enough to understand.
• Before you use new technologies, ensure you understand them and how to use them appropriately.
• Follow the family rules that you have implemented. For example, if there is no screen time or cell phone time permitted at the dinner table, make sure you do not text or answer your phone yourself! No texting or answering the cell phone whilst driving etc.
• Show your children how you use digital technology to add value to your life not how to let it take over your life - exercise self control.
• Show your kids how and why you manage your time online appropriately.

If you don't take charge of your children's online education, somebody else will and their values may not be in line with your family values.

Posted: 23 July 2011