Children nowadays are deeply involved in social media. The rise of the internet has provided them a lot of opportunities for self –expression, content creation, and building communities. However, these opportunities can also expose them to serious threats.
Educating our children to develop a positive online behavior is the best defense for keeping them safe online. It is important to develop their ability to assess the risks associated with their online activities as well as making them accountable for their online behavior.
Good thing, there are companies like Globe Telecom that helps the Philippines in not just making it a digital nation but at the same time, providing awareness on the dangers that people could fall vulnerable to in this digital age.
Globe’s #makeITsafePH campaign, under its Cyber Pinoy cyber wellness program teaches students how to understand the impact of their online behavior and how to be safe and responsible for their online activities by providing workshops. The workshops provides awareness on technology’s impact on their social activities and how to use technology to help them achieve their goals.
To support the #makeITsafePH campaign, here are some tips I made to help your children develop positive online behavior.
1. Always Respect the Rights and Feelings of Others.
Remember the Golden Rule? “Do to others what you would like others do to you” (Luke 6:31). You have to treat others the way you want to be treated. This goes the same in the online world. Just because you are behind the screen doesn’t mean you can do the things that you would not ordinarily do, including antisocial behaviors, negativity and the like.
- Be Polite
Always remember to practice politeness in all your communications online. This includes your comments, shares, emails and etc. Make sure you don’t appear rude, insensitive and deceitful.
- Be Mindful of your actions.
Make sure what you post online will not embarrass you or other people. Many careless shares have led to a lot of online problems including problems with relationships.
- Practice Self-Control
Think before posting or replying in social media. Communicate clearly and don’t post anything in sheer anger or frustration. Refrain from complaining online. Steer away any communication that harbor bullying, abusing or spreading rumors.
2. Protect Your Digital Identity
Having a positive digital identity can work for your advantage. The things that we post today can be an important information in the years down the line. When content that reflects you in the negative light is easily visible in search, your digital identity is at risk. Developing a positive digital identity is like answering the question, “What do you want others to see in you when they search you?”
Your digital identity is based on what information you post and what you share. It can impact your relationships and your future opportunities for employment, careers, and business. Your digital identity might well be the first thing that your prospective employer will check when they get your application. They will be looking for positive content that showcases your potential and accomplishments as an individual. They will also be looking at your photos, videos, and comments that suggests you are the right person for the job you are applying. If your future employers finds out that you are the kind of person who posts rude comments and anything negative online, would they be considering your application for their company?
In order for you to have positive digital identity, you have to be genuine to people in your online community. People respond positively to genuineness. Also, artificial words and actions are very easy to spot, so be true!
3. Delete Inappropriate Posts in the Past.
The moment you post something online it is there forever. Most of the time your long-forgotten posts from the past may work as a disadvantage in your present opportunities. Many people can roam your social media profile looking for something to bully you – or just to stalk on you. That is why, you need to clean your social media accounts to make it scrutiny ready for future opportunities.
Here are some cleaning tips for your social media accounts.
- Delete pictures that can be seen as negative or reveal too much.
- Delete inappropriate statuses.
- Delete friends you don’t know.
- Set your privacy setting so that only friends and family can read what you posts
- eUntag yourself from inappropriate posts
- Report, unfriend and block people who send you abusive posts or messages.
4. THINK Before You Post.
Sharing information online is a good thing but we need to be careful of the risk of hurting ourselves or someone else. The information that you share with your friends can end up being shared with others. Therefore, it is very important to think before you post anything online.
5. Spread LOVE.
One of the best ways to spread love on social media is to make post that will make other people happy. Think of making posts that will inspire or make someone laugh. Post something that is beautiful, something that would bring joy to others.
When it comes to liking posts, be generous with your likes. It doesn’t cost us much when we like other’s posts but think about how it can add up to someone else’s day.
When leaving comments, make sure to write genuine and kind comments. If you don’t have nothing nice to say, better not comment at all. Write comments that will inspire and encourage.
There are probably so many things you can do to spread love online. All you need to do is to start now. Be a blessing!
These are my top tips for encouraging positive online behavior but I’ve love to hear your ideas. Let me know in the comments…or on social media.
