Even with all the best AI technology and tools that capture everything we say and do online, NOTHING substitutes for a caring adult's presence when children are online - even when they are visiting 'safe' websites. Be present for your child and monitor their online activity. Be a safe adult that they can come to when something bothers them online and use the resources below to open the conversation on safe internet usage. As a high schooler, your student may LOOK like an adult but the rational part of their brains are not fully developed and they still REQUIRE your guidance and attention.

When your students are in the K12 Zone, be sure to take a look at the URL in their browser. Does it begin with zone.k12.com? It should look like the image on the left.

If you see something different at the beginning of the web address, your students are NOT in the K12 Zone’s monitored space. They should leave the space and clear cookies and cache in order to ensure that they land in the monitored school zones.

Kids today may seem like experts at using technology, but the digital world requires all kinds of skills and habits that kids don’t just pick up as they go. Digital citizenship helps them learn those skills. The Common Sense lessons help students in grades 6–8 reflect on their tech use and make thoughtful choices about how and when they use it. Kids also learn about how to stand up to cyberbullying, use social media carefully, and look critically at the news.

WHAT FAMILIES CAN DO

Common Sense Education provides resources to help you support your kid’s learning. As we teach these lessons in class, we’ll be sending home tip sheets and activities for you to do with your kids. You can visit the Common Sense website at www.commonsensemedia.org for more. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Working together with Common Sense Education, we can prepare today’s kids to think critically and use tech in positive, creative, and powerful ways.

Share the videos below with your middle school student that focus on the components of digital literacy: Media Balance & Well-being, Privacy & Security, Digital Footprint & Identity, Relationships & Communication, Cyberbullying, Digital Drama & Hate Speech, and News & Media Literacy.

Click here to talk through a digital citizenship discussion and agreement with your student.

Common Sense Education https://www.commonsense.org/education