Digital Citizenship: Digital Footprint

A digital footprint is a record of everything an individual does online, including the content they upload. Online, information can migrate, persist, and resurface years later. Discuss with your children the risks of sharing inappropriate information online and to think critically about what they choose to post and share about themselves online.

Read the Family Tip Sheet: Common Sense on Privacy and Digital Footprints to learn more. Leave a positive digital footprint and share your story on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtags: #LifeReadyWillard #digcit

Digital Citizenship: Selfie Culture

Have a conversation with your child about selfies. Even though taking selfies is a part of growing up digital, that doesn’t mean all self-portraits are okay. Like all behaviors that children and teens test out, parents should help them to learn the limits and guidelines for which types of pictures are acceptable and which are not. Get a good sense of your child's online life and clarify your expectations. The material that children and adolescents view online, selfies included, can be influential in molding their sense of self.

Read the Family Tip Sheet: Selfie Culture to learn more. Share your story by posting on Facebook or Twitter and using the hashtags: #LifeReadyWillard #digcit

Digital Citizenship: Managing Screen Time

Studies show that media use steadily increases as kids get older, and there are risks to overexposure. Implementing screen management before the tween and teen years will increase the chances that the stuff they're interacting with is (mostly) good for them. It also allows you to think more deeply about how, when, and why you want your family to be using technology, so it enhances and enriches your lives.

Read the Family Tip Sheet: Managing Screen Time for how to get started and watch this video to learn five simple steps to a healthy media diet. Share your story by posting on Facebook or Twitter and using the hashtags: #LifeReadyWillard #digcit

Digital Citizenship: Device Free Dinner 

Just as there’s no one right way to have a family dinner, there’s no single right answer as to how much technology, if any, should get a place at your table. The Family Dinner Project has some resources to help you manage this.

Take #DeviceFreeDinner Challenge and share your story by posting on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtags: #DeviceFreeDinner #LifeReadyWillard #digcit

Join us in Celebrating Digital Citizenship Week Oct 15-19

In today’s digital world, raising and educating young people is an exciting and challenging task for parents and schools. Working together we can raise a generation of kids to become smart, responsible, and respectful digital citizens.

Please join us in celebrating Digital Citizenship Week. Digital Citizenship is the practice of navigating the digital world safely, responsibly, and respectfully. Each day this week we will provide information that you can use to guide your child through the digital world. Please join the conversation by posting on Facebook or Twitter, sharing your digital citizenship stories, and using these hashtags: #LifeReadyWillard #digcit

The Common Sense Media website provides a wealth of information for parents on navigating the digital frontier including: family guides, answers to parenting questions, reviews and recommendations for games, movies, books, etc. See our Digital Citizenship webpage for more resources.