My topic is Digital Citizenship with an intended focus of improving online safety habits in adolescents.
I see the need for this on a daily basis in my classroom. I hear conversations between students on a regular basis where they are talking about what they've posted online (or in a group chat), which could compromise their safety. My preliminary research shows that there have been many studies that confirm what I have seen in person.
Vanderhoven et al. (2014) found that teenagers are posting information on Facebook that could pose a risk to their safety and privacy settings are lacking for most. Thus, interventions that help to raise awareness for teens are needed.
Social media posting is not the only area where there is danger. Digital Dating Abuse (DDA) is a growing problem as well. A study done by Ellyson et al. (2021) documented that 76.1% of young adults (18-22) reported that they had either been the aggressor, a victim, or been in both roles of a DDA behavior. Based on their results, adolescents need preventative education on this topic in early adolescence in regard to potential harm, legal issues, and how to engage in healthy and safe communication on cell phones and digital mediums.
I have included the YouTube videos below to illustrate some perspectives of adolescents on various digital safety issues. In these videos, it is apparent that efforts to educate students regarding how to be a good digital citizen can be effective.
References: Ellyson, A. M., Adhia, A., Lyons, V. H., & Rivara, F. P. (2021). Prevalence, age of initiation, and patterns of co-occurrence of digital dating abuse behaviors nationwide. Children and Youth Services Review, 122. https://doi-org.wmlsrsu.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105921Vanderhoven, E.,
Schellens, T., Valcke, M., & Raes, A. (2014). How Safe Do
Teenagers Behave on Facebook? An Observational Study. PLoS ONE, 9(8), 1–9. https://doi-org.wmlsrsu.idm.oclc.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104036
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