The results of various studies show that the time young people spend on the Internet every day is increasing every year. Thus, for example, the results of a recent survey conducted in Poland show that young people spend an average of 5 hours and 36 minutes a day on the Internet. For comparison, in 2020 it was 4 hours and 50 minutes. Young people spend the most time on social networks. Notably, the age at which children get their first phone with internet access is 8 years and 5 months.
The risks associated with using the Internet are increasing
The rapid development of new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, contributes to the creation of ever-new disinformation content and manipulation techniques, the uncontrolled spread of age-inappropriate content to children’s audiences, greater opportunities to track and analyze the behavior of Internet users, and increasingly sophisticated types of cyber-attacks. This threatens not only the stability and well-being of society, but also the safety of young people. The only way to change this is through education. Parents can do a lot for the cause.
The first thing every teenager should know is that all social media platforms are based on certain algorithms that offer selected content that matches the interests and viewing history of each internet user. Thus, false information, various conspiracy theories and misinformation can easily spread both on and off social media platforms. Especially if the users themselves do not report such cases to the platform administration.
Second, every young person should know what risks they may face on social networks and how to protect themselves in each case. Emotional humiliation, violations of privacy, communication with strangers should be highlighted. Fake news, misinformation and fraud should also be addressed. Children also need to know the solutions that social networks offer to protect themselves. The very basis would be secure passwords and two-step authentication, options to report and block users, choosing the right privacy settings.
Third, an essential skill that will be useful to any young person is the ability to think critically. It should be explained that critical thinking is the way we get to know information, analyze it and then draw conclusions. It is clear that critical thinking is based on a comprehensive media education that is implemented from an early age. Critical thinking involves the ability to separate opinion from fact. Children should be taught to critically evaluate every post, post or video on social media platforms, especially those that do not come from reliable news sources. It is necessary to read the content of the post and understand whether the photo/video material is meant as proof or illustration. If the material is used as evidence, it is recommended to check whether this post also appears in other media that can be considered reliable. You should also make sure that the photo or video used is not copied from a completely different source about another event, or maybe it is a fake.
Ample options and useful tools for parents
Parents themselves can do a lot in the education of their children, but it is understandable that many lack the necessary knowledge. A lot of information can be found on the Drossinternets.lv website, but it is worth telling about the recently published methodological materials on the effective and safe use of the digital space, as well as a critical analysis of the online content consumed. They were created within the framework of the “Make it clear – educating young people against misinformation online” project, in cooperation with several non-governmental organizations with long-term experience in the field of media education and online child protection. The project’s digital materials are intended for working with young people aged 11 to 17, so I invite parents to use them to learn together with their children about topics such as digital civic participation, disinformation, understanding the context, responsible sharing of online content and understanding the role of the media. Learning modules for 11‒17-year-olds are available on the project’s website, as well as the board game “Digital Brains”, which was distributed to all schools in Latvia in September. Materials and more information available here.
2024-09-28 10:16:35