Respect Online

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AND RESPECT ONLINE

Growing up in today’s day and age is different in many ways to growing up even 10 years ago.  Digital technology has been embraced by society, and with this we have begun to see forms of digital communication and social media dominate how many people – particularly young people – communicate with each other.

It is important for students to remember that speaking to anyone online with a screen between them should be treated the same way as if the person is right in front of you.  Respect to self and others and kindness are incredibly important in how we interact with each other day to day, as this helps to build a better environment at the College and within our wider community.  It also contributes to helping students feel safe and connected, as they do now have huge access to each other outside of their time together at school.

We know that students at the College are being asked to make choices when they go online every day and that these conversations follow them home and often live in their pocket and sometimes get taken to bed with them if your child sleeps with their phone.  With this in mind, maintaining correct behaviour online is extremely important to ensuring that students do not feel unsafe.

Students in Year 8 in particular seem to be having some difficulty with managing their online communication, so their Year Level Leaders ran an assembly for Year 8 girls on Wednesday 4th May to share some important information with them about empowerment of self, cyber safety and pro-social behaviour.  Although this assembly was directed towards our Year 8s, the messages shared with them are relevant to all young people. 

To assist parents with starting a conversation with their children about digital communication and respect online, below is a recap of the information shared.  We are asking students to make good choices online, but at the same time they need to be supported by all of us in doing this, as it is a learning process the same as any other.

• Don’t respond to messages online or via text when you are angry or hurt – either to strangers or people you know.  This often encourages them to continue harassing you because they have received a response they want
• If someone send you something you don’t like, or you are tagged in something that you feel disrespects you, log out and stop messaging
• Instead of responding, always remember that you have the option to block, delete or report anyone who is harassing you online or on your phone
• Share this information with a trusted adult so that you’re able to get support
• Ensure privacy settings on all social media sites are set up so that nobody has access to you if you don’t want them to
• Remember that knowing someone at school or through a friend of a friend does not make them your friend.  Consider who you become ‘friends’ with online – do you really want this person to have access to you and know everything about you?  Think about who these ‘friends’ might share information with?
• Always think before posting online – is this information that you want your online community to know?
• We all leave a digital footprint now and whatever is posted online does not disappear – even if it is deleted.  The same is true of images that are texted to phones or via apps.  Employers now use Facebook as a tool to get to know prospective employees.  Would you really want everyone to see what you’re doing or hear what you’re thinking?  Does it show your best self?
• Avoid using social media as a forum to vent frustrations – not everyone needs to know that you might be struggling.  Instead choose to share this with your family or one or two close friends whom you trust completely to not share it with others.
• Don’t be afraid to shut off your phone when you’re at home – friends do not need to have access to you at all times; you will see them the next day at school anyway and find out what you might have missed the night before
• Remember that being a teenager is hard, but rather than try to create yourself by exerting power over other people, instead you should create yourself by building the power to excel yourself, to learn, to grow, to understand who you are.
• Always remember, you don’t need to be friends with everyone and being liked by everyone is impossible and unrealistic.
• Connections with people are made for different reasons, but not connecting with someone does not give you the right to disrespect them – not connecting does not mean they do not deserve your understanding or empathy.
• Friends should not take action on your behalf either online or in person because you have the power and need to decide your own actions.