How to be a Digital Citizen ?

 

        What exactly are we talking about when we say " How to be a digital citizen?" . Well as you know, as we move forward, technology is on the rise and children have access to it now more than ever and the Internet world is Really Big and with all the safety measures that are taken it is still not safe. Being a Digital citizen means to know how to use the Internet In a safe way and to learn the Etiquette behind the Internet World. There are many things that are encountered when diving deep into the oceans, there are so much information in a click; However, BOOM! You hit the rock bottom ! In this Post we will see the different problems that a person can encounter when using the internet and what are the solutions that we can do to use it as safely as possible. 

        1- Cyber Bullying - There are many types of bullying and cyber bullying is on the rise because it is definitely easier for everyone to bully others from behind the screen rather than face to face and thus we should really teach our children the respect and the Etiquette of how to treat others when using the internet. Examples of Cyber bullying may include stealing someone's photo and creating a GIF image with a Fake body Placed on it or commenting meanly on a picture or a post ... etc. This can be done even easier when the account name is a nickname not the real name of the person. Nevertheless, Children should be taught that each key that they enter is registered and this is the biggest example of getting ads that are related to what you are searching for. So teaching the children that they are being watched for everything they do on the internet and teaching them to respect one another is one of the main things when it comes to Digital Citizenship. How many people on Facebook have their accounts stolen? In fact, Hacking has never been so easy but one of the things that one can do is to make the password not easy to guess for the hacker. However, there are several applications and websites that allows hackers to do so without attempting to enter the password in the first place. In this case the person reports the account to Facebook and they take the measures accordingly. 

       2- Dating Sites or Chat Rooms - There are billions of cases worldwide due to the dating websites and the Chat rooms where killers can make a false profile and get to know everything about you in details, this makes it easier for the killer or kidnapper to find his next target, Since Simple words and Beautiful pictures are sent by the Guy and Then asks the Girl on a date, Claiming that he liked her rather than He is just dragging her into a Trap. Dating Websites and Chat rooms should be blocked in the country in General as well as make children aware of the dangerous effects that can occur if they enter to such websites. In addition, these Websites and applications can lead the girls to suicide because if they have sent a picture to the Guy, they actually Blackmail them that if they don't do what they ask for that their pictures will be on all websites. These applications are very dangerous and should not be accepted what so ever!!

       3- Protection of Private Information- Here, What I am saying is that There are Hackers out there that actually use your private information against you , such as leaving your credit card number and other information on online shopping website and we don't know if it is actually safe or not. Teenagers should be well aware that if they buy anything online to pay on delivery for example instead of entering the credit card number as well as other private data that can be used against you. Note that this can leave you Bankrupt , Since Hackers can actually make credit cards with your name and your data and then you have to settle the payments. NEVER LEAVE YOUR PERSONAL DATA BEHIND! It is no Joke!

     4-Bad Websites - Since Children have access to the internet , How can I actually protect the children from entering into adult contents? Because as you know this is everywhere even in the Children's cartoons they show Things that are inappropriate. Well what we can do is that we can make the Parental Control in which all websites that have adult contents in it will not be suggested on the Channel or the Website, and as a parent or as Teachers we can see the search history and everything that has been watched or where they are entering, It is not about not trusting the Child but not trusting the people around them. 

     5- Non-Credible Websites- Many of students and many people search on websites in general for information, but Really, how much of this information is actually true? I mean this is one advantage of using books instead of diving into the world of the internet. Anyone can create a website, anyone can post information , but is everyone credible to Rely on their information? Students should be taught about which websites are credible and how to know if the website is credible or not. As you know there are several factors that indicate if the website itself is credible or not. Using those with .Org or .edu for example are credible; However, using those with wikipedia.com for example is not really valid and not always true because anyone can do it. 

      In conclusion, Yes... the World of Technology is on the rise but the dangerous risks of it is also concerning. As a Biologist I would Give an Example of it like when using antibiotics it is helpful because it kills the bacteria, but if you misuse it, it will cause long lasting effects. In everything that we do we should actually Take into consideration the Consequences of what happens when we do a certain action and since technology is in the reach of our Angels; our youngsters, it is our job as teachers or as parents to guide the child of using it safely. This is how you Become a Digital Citizen. 

- Dana Molla -