E-Safety and Digital Health

Social Media Usage & Responsible Digital Citizenship

Last newsletter we covered general social media safety and etiquette - tips and tricks on how to stay safe in a general sense. 

This week we'll point you in the direction of some reliable sources in relation to uncovering some common risks associated with the most popular social media platforms.

As highlighted in Week 5, most of us could identify the majority of the Social Media platforms identified in the picture on the left, but what about the set on the right?  The set on the right includes some very common apps being used by young people, including those in their final year/s of primary school. Being up to date with the latest social media platforms and apps is crucial in helping your child stay safe online. 

Stay informed about latest developments in social media platforms

For most of us, the speed at which new content and platforms are developed far exceeds our own uptake of such content - meaning that we are often on the back foot in comparison to our children. 

In order to be informed and hold supportive conversations with our children and students, we need to have an understanding of the material they, or their friends, might be engaging with. We also need to be able to pick up on clues as to what platforms they might be using - ie: by being informed about associated vocabulary and slang terms.  

Be informed about the benefits, but also potential risks associated with various platforms and apps - this includes the basic ones! 

You'd be surprised by the potential risks associated with even the most prehistoric and simple platforms. 

Apps or platforms that enable one or more of the following features, tend to result in a more risky environment.

1. Anonymity: "Anonymity doesn't always breed cruelty, but it often does. On anonymous sites, people feel that their comments are consequence-free and can end up hurting others. Also, though kids may feel safe enough to share sensitive or painful things they might not otherwise, they often don't get the necessary support or help and may get attacked." 
2. "Temporary" or "Disintegrating" pictures and videos. "Nothing shared between devices is truly temporary, even when an app builds its whole marketing around it. Compromising pictures and texts get kids in real trouble because they believe what they're sending is private and will disappear" Not only this, but the concept of temporary pictures/messages can often enable cruelty and cyberbullying behaviours. 
3. Secret chat rooms: "Chat rooms can be invitation-only or drop-in. Both carry some risks because chat rooms allow for no-holds-barred conversations. Sometimes the chats are private for reasons like sexual content or hate speech. But sometimes kids create private groups to avoid the problems associated with public groups. Either way, chat rooms make it more difficult for parents to keep track of what their kids are doing online."
4. Random video chat and Real-time video streaming: "Any app that's inviting kids to "meet new friends" is facilitating chats with strangers in some way. In most cases this type of app likely has a lot of sexual content and adults trying to hook up."
5. Location tracking and sharing: "Wherever you go, there you are -- and your social media apps know it. Though you may only indicate a city or neighborhood in a profile, allowing location identification often means that you're tracked within a city block, your posts can include your location, and anyone -- including strangers -- can see exactly where you are."
6. Toxic culture: "Some sites and apps attract trolls and other confrontational types who want a place to express extreme views in an in-your-face way. Kids can be drawn to this provocative communication style and see it as a place to belong, especially if they feel persecuted in other parts of their lives, but the interactions are often laced with bullying, sexism, hate speech, and other cruelties that can escalate quickly."
7. Age-inappropriate content. "Friends can share explicit stuff via messaging (for example, sexting), but the bigger concern is whether an app features a lot of user-generated content that isn't appropriate to your kid's age. Your child may not even need to follow users who are posting inappropriate content to come across it."

The biggest concern is not that adults don't appreciate that these features can be dangerous, it is that they don't realise that many apps enable these features as part of their structure. A child might say something along the lines of, "oh it's just to play games on" ... but unless we actually check and consult an informed guide, we are often unaware of the duality of many platforms that our children use. 

For example, the following platforms all utilise one of more of these features: Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SnapChat, Tumblr, TikTok, Roblox, Discord, Wink, Twitch. 

[Please note: Information in quotation marks, has come directly from Common Sense Media]

How do I choose age-appropriate content? 

Good-quality media can support your child’s learning, as well as their social connections, especially if it ties in with their interests or sparks their imagination.  The following sites can help you make informed decisions about your family’s entertainment choices. 

• Check age ratings and consumer advice for apps and games on devices your children use via the App Store or Google Play. Visit the Australian Classification Board’s online database when reviewing movies and games.
• Raising Children Network  has advice about choosing video games, online games and apps. 
• NetAware (UK) offers a guide to popular social media apps, sites and games, including risks, age recommendations and safety tips. 
• Children and Media Australia provides reviews of movies, apps and games, including gambling content advice, searchable by age and platform. 
• Commonsense Media (US) offers a database of apps, games and websites searchable by age.  

In addition: 

The Cybersafety Project's blog has numerous articles, detailing new apps to watch out for, providing 'ultimate guides' for parents and how to set up parental controls on common apps. 

• https://cybersafetyproject.com.au/blog/ 
• Ultimate guide to Snapchat
• Ultimate guide to Instagram
• Ultimate guide to TikTok

Bark Technologies is originally a US based firm that offers several products to help families stay safe online, these include a content monitoring app for parents and their very own mobile phone handset. The firm has now expanded its service to Australia. Whilst their website obviously draws attention to their phone product, it's also a valuable source of safety information for parents: 

1. Tech guides (ie: setting up parental controls on different platforms) https://www.bark.us/learn/resources/?show=tech-guide 
2. App safety reviews: https://www.bark.us/learn/resources/?show=app-review 
3. Guide to internet/social media slang terminology: https://www.bark.us/learn/resources/?show=slang-word 
4. Like many websites they also compile lists of apps that parents should be aware of: https://www.bark.us/blog/dangerous-apps-kids/ 

For parents who are interested in the idea of a Smart Phone that has inbuilt features and greater capacity for monitoring their child's online activity, then there is now an Australian product on the market: https://cybersafetyproject.com.au/opel-kids-phone-the-safest-smartphone-for-kids/  the Opel SmartKids Phone

Previous Topics

Term 2: Week 8 - Green Time v. Screen Time 

Information on Balancing screen time and promoting digital well-being can be found on this previous newsletter.

Term 3: Week 1 & 3 - Cyberbullying

Term 3: Week 5 - Social Media Usage

Supportive Resources