Parents Ask: How to Teach Kids to Be Good Digital Citizens

As parents and guardians, you need to know how to teach kids how to be good digital citizens so they can use their daily online exchange as assets for their future.

Any child that has access and can use a device to connect to the internet needs guidance on how to browse in the online space.

Although merely online, it does not mean that there is no community in there where children and other people can be good digital citizens. 

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To help you, here are some ways on how to teach kids about how to be good digital citizens. 

Online identity

Having one of these is how people create and manage their identity, both online and offline. It means knowing how to maintain one's ethics, as well as being aware of the short and long term effects of their actions within the online world. 

In learning how to teach kids about how to be good digital citizens, teaching them about their online identity is an important topic that must be discussed. 

Emotional intelligence

Another thing to help you in teaching kids how to be good digital citizens is by knowing their emotional intelligence. 

The only way to teach this is by making sure that your kids are still getting enough in-person socialization. 

Through this way, they will learn how strong their relationships are so when they are talking with people online; they can continue interactions in the same way. 

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Online use

The primary factor of online use is the skill to strike a healthy balance between screen time and everyday life. Teaching kids how to be good digital citizens is by teaching them about their online use and by making sure that they have a life outside of their gadgets. 

Exposure to various activities and environments will allow them to acquire skills, not to mention that this will also help them in growing their confidence and find new hobbies and desires. 

(Photo: August de Richelieu from Pexels)
Parents Ask: How to Teach Kids to Be Good Digital Citizens

Online literacy

Through the skills to search, assess, use, share, and create content in the online world. That involves thinking deeply and being able to know fake news from the truth. 

You can teach your kids about online literacy by making them aware of trustworthy and legitimate sources online. Also, you should teach them to always read about specific posts and if something looks doubtful, tell them not to hesitate to call you for help. 

Online security

There are also challenges in the online world in which we need to guard ourselves against. One way to teach your kids about online security is by talking about news about cyberbullying and privacy issues with your whole family. 

Ask your children how they might respond to specific events and invite feedback about how you can help them best with any issues online. 

Keep in mind that your answers will likely change as your kids grow older, so keep your talk going. Also, you can teach your kids about the possible safety threats by using specific tools and practices such as making strong passwords. 

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