Digital citizenship and the central role of parents
Undoubtedly, new technologies are important and advantageous for children: they contribute to their development, offer multiple opportunities to learn, create, collaborate and connect with others. However, with this set of benefits, it is important to understand the responsibility it entails. That is why it is necessary to guide children in their learning and use of new technologies. Even though they are more comfortable and quickly master techniques related to digital technology, parents have a great deal of experience and a central role to play in supporting them.
Indeed, you are better able to help them understand the extent and social consequences of using new technologies. In this new era therefore, everyone becomes a learner (children and adults alike). However, as adults, you provide all the support and assistance they need to better understand, interpret and evolve in this ever-changing digital world.
It is therefore important that children develop and acquire digital literacy skills. This will enable them to reinforce their values, develop appropriate digital behaviour, develop critical thinking skills and better manage information and communication.
If children are to fulfil their part, you as parents also have an important central role to play. To succeed in your mission, it is vital that you learn about media literacy for your children. This means that you need to keep a constant watch to beware of security measures, data protection, limits and applicable law. This way, you will be effective role models and provide your children with sound advice to help your children become good digital citizens.
Your central role consists also of acquiring knowledge about the most used apps and social networks by young people. Do not hesitate to learn how they work, in order to acquire digital skills.
In this way, you will be able to help your children develop their digital literacy skills, thus maintaining a better digital well-being. At Digital Kidz, we provide you with the means to support children, young and old, in their learning journey of new technologies!
Technology is everywhere today
It is definitely not possible to live in today’s world without encountering new technologies. Indeed, they are present in all aspects of our lives and even more so in the lives of children. Moreover, children have a fairly quick learning capacity and they can develop advanced skills than their parents.
This does not however mean that you do not have a central role to play as parents. It is your responsibility to:
- Support your children, young and old
- Show them their role in building this world full of technologies
- Teach them how to adopt a responsible digital citizenship
- Teach them how to develop critical thinking skills
Through our guidance on new technologies and how to implement them with your children, young and old, you will be able to support and help them adopt a good digital behaviour.
Your central role as a parent is to guide your children on a daily basis, so that they use new technologies responsibly. Through the program and advice we provide you at Digital Kidz, you will be able to help them develop their sense of duty, values and digital behavior.
Digital information easily available
In order to succeed in your mission or central role in guiding your children towards digital citizenship, you need to be constantly informed. That is why, you should be educated about:
- Media literacy for children
- Security measures and data protection
- The limits you can impose on them
- The applicable Law in relation to the field of new technologies in which your child operates
- Popular applications and social networks and how they work
At Digital Kidz, we provide you with all these information. We are constantly on the lookout for changes or advances in new technologies. This is how we always keep you informed and help you better understand your central role as parents and help your children (young and old) become good digital citizens.
Once you put into practice the various skills we share with you, you will be able to guide your children into participating in an efficient and effective, critical and responsible manner, in the development of their personality in the digital age. By this, you will:
- Encourage them to use digital media wisely
- Prepare them to become engaged digital citizens
- Teach them on how to consume media intelligently
- Enable them balance between the use of screens and offline life; better balance the media and their well-being
- Help them decode fake news
- Teach them on how to interact in a respectful manner
- Ethics and empathy: empowering them to make ethical decisions in digital environments
- Teach them to be aware of privacy policy; i.e. better manage their online presence and reputation
- Teach them to be aware of their fingerprint (the image they reflect on the internet).