October 16-20, 2023 is Digital Citizenship Week. It is an opportunity to reflect on our media and technology habits and carefully consider how it impacts our family and friends. Please use the information below to have conversations with your kids about digital citizenship and the impact it can have on their mental health, well-being, and future. Please visit Common Sense Media to learn more about how you can protect your kids from the harmful effects of the internet and social media.

Today, we live in a world overflowing with digital media and technology. All of us -- adults and kids -- have constant access to real-time information from around the globe. But do the benefits of being ever-connected also come with risks to our mental health? It's an important question to ask -- especially for our kids.

Develop Good Screen Time Habits

With older kids and teens spending more time on screens than ever before, it's natural for parents and caregivers to wonder if it's affecting their children's well-being. When it comes to screen time, it's important to make sure kids balance their time on devices with other activities that help them learn and grow.

Here are some strategies for helping your whole family develop a healthy relationship with screens.

Set limits. Establish screen-free zones and weekly screen-time amounts. Aim for a balance of activities throughout the week: reading, playing, spending time with family and friends, and so on. You can also create a family media agreement with your child and revise the rules as needed.

Choose age-appropriate, high-quality content. Not everything has to be educational, but when choosing entertainment for young kids, think about how it engages your child. If you have older kids, check out online reviews together and help them look for shows, games, and apps that allow them to explore their interests, get creative, and connect with others.

Watch and play together when you can. You won't be able to stop what you're doing every time your kid plays Minecraft, but make an effort to understand -- and even appreciate -- what your kids are doing. Ask questions, get them to explain stuff, and listen with an open mind.

Treat tech as a tool, not a treat. Kids who use tablets or smartphones just to play games or watch shows see only the entertainment side of technology. Show them how you can use devices for other tasks, such as sending emails, getting directions, and looking up information.

Be a family of media critics. Help your kids think critically about what they watch, play, and interact with by talking about it. Encourage them to think more deeply about the shows, books, and games they enjoy. Ask questions like, Who made this? Why do you like this character? Does it remind you of anything?

Be a role model. Lead by example and put your own devices away during family time. Mute notifications during mealtimes, turn off the television when no one is watching it, and try not to multitask while using devices.

Know Your Digital Footprint

As soon as you share your first photo on social media, you're establishing a digital footprint. It's important to understand the tracks you're leaving behind and what those tracks might reveal.

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Be a role model.

Before you post a photo of your kid on social media, ask if it's OK to share. Not only will you give them control over their own digital footprint, you'll also be showing them what you expect them to do with others' photos.

Use privacy settings.

Together, go through all the settings on new apps to make sure you both know what information your kids are sharing. Especially in the beginning, it's better to share very little.

Question everything.

Before you sign school forms or register for a new online service for your kid, check the privacy policy to see what kind of information you're giving the school or company and who they're sharing it with. Sharing some data might be required, but you may be able to opt out of others. Talk with your kid about why it's important to protect your personal data.

Use a celebrity as an example.

With older kids, choose a celebrity or another famous person and look through their Twitter or Instagram posts with your kid. Discuss your impressions of them based on what they post. Ask your kid what kind of image they'd like to project online.

How can I create a culture of kindness?

Teach your kids about the effects of digital drama, cyberbullying, and hate speech on both themselves and their larger communities. Explore the roles people play and how individual actions, negative and positive, intentional and unintentional, can affect their peers and their broader communities. Kids should be encouraged to take the active role of upstander and build positive, supportive, online communities which will cultivate empathy, compassion, and the courage to combat negative interactions online.

Help Kids Make Friends and Interact Safely Online

Soon after kids start reading and writing, they often begin interacting with others online. Whether they're chatting within games or texting family members, kids need the skills to interact respectfully. These skills will help kids -- and the people they're communicating with -- have positive experiences online.

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Give them the right words.

Kids learn about appropriate verbal and physical communication from watching you. But online conversations can be invisible. Occasionally, narrate as you're writing texts or social media comments when your kids are in earshot.

Play a game of telephone.

Discuss how a message can change depending on the person delivering it or the delivery method. Read a question like "What are you doing?" with different tones of voice. Talk about how emoji and punctuation can help communicate tone and emotion in text messages.

Help kids navigate online friendships.

In the beginning, you might limit all communication with strangers online. As kids get older, you can monitor any online chatting. And once they're more independent, you can discuss which methods of communication are appropriate as well as which types of information to keep private from online-only friends.

Develop their instincts.

Help kids trust their guts so they can exit iffy or inappropriate online conversations. Discuss different scenarios and ask how they would feel and what they would do.

Cyberbullying is repeated and unwanted hurtful words or behavior that occur online. It includes sharing negative or harmful content about someone on purpose. Often, this type of bullying happens over text messages, online chat, or social media. Examples of cyberbullying include:

• Sending hurtful texts or messages

• Posting inappropriate photos or videos on social media

• Hacking accounts

• Spreading mean rumors online

HOW TO STOP CYBERBULLYING

Social media apps have gotten more serious about cyberbullying on their platforms. If your kid is bullied online, go to the platform's site and look for a help section. They typically say "Community Guidelines," "Safety Center," "Parent Info," or something similar. These pages will show you how to block people and change privacy settings. Use these quick guides to block or report cyberbullying on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

If you or your child is bullied or harassed over text messages, call your mobile phone provider to report the number. You may be able to block the number by going to "contacts" or "recent calls" on your child's phone. You can also change phone numbers, if necessary. Many carriers offer additional anti-bullying features for a fee.

If the abuse continues, you may want to reach out to your community for support. This can include the school, teachers and coaches, or other parents and caregivers. If the communication contains threats, you can report it to law enforcement.

If you have information regarding cyberbullying between students, please text at tip to (760) 239-9113 or email textatip@snowlineschools.com. Please note, reports are confidential, not anonymous.

Help Kids Spot Fake News and Decode Media Messages

With so much media and information coming at us through the television, phones, social media, and more, it's more important than ever for kids to understand the basics of media literacy. When kids can identify different types of news and media and the methods and meanings behind them, they're on their way to being critical thinkers and smart consumers.

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Encourage healthy skepticism.

Help them analyze the messages around them -- from toy packaging to news headlines -- and question the purpose of the words and images they see.

Play "spot the ad."

When you see advertising on TV or on a billboard, ask kids to figure out what the ad is selling. Sometimes it's obvious, and sometimes it's not. Help them explore why certain pictures, sounds, or words are used to sell certain products.

Explore different sides of a story.

Use real-life examples to help kids understand how people can view the same situation with totally different perspectives. One child might experience a game on the playground as fun, while another might feel like the rules are unfair. When appropriate, tie this example to a news story.

Discuss fact vs. opinion.

Play around with ideas and decide which are facts and which are opinions. Ask: How tall are you? What's the best food in the world? Do rocks sink or float? Do you like dogs? Point out that both facts and opinions show up in the news, but opinion is usually labeled.

Choose a variety of sources.

Show kids how you get news and information from different places, and explain how you make your choices. Use words like "credible," "trustworthy," "respected," and "fair." As kids get older, introduce the ideas of bias, satire, and clickbait.