Cybersafety for the ISS Community

CONTENTS CYBERSAFETY



CYBERBULLYING USING TECHNOLOGY

In the Bedroom Online Social Media Privacy Tips for Parents

Page 3 Page 5 Page 7 Page 9

Hits Home The Other Side What Experts Say And Active Kids Tips for Parents



Page 11 Page 13 Page 15 Page 17 Page 19

Sexting/Screen Digital Citizens Multi-Tasking Social Media



Page 21 Page 23 Page 25 Page 27

Information in this document has been compiled from the New South Wales Department of Education and communities website (www.dec.nsw.gov.au) and was made available through the gracious sharing of the International School of Hannover for which we are grateful.

We will continue to develop this resource and

make it available in the ISS Veracross portal over the course of this academic year.

Chapter 1

CYBERSAFETY

Whether in the classroom or at home, children are using technology – computers, mobile phones and the internet – more and more in their day-to-day lives. Cybersafety provides advice on keeping your child safe in the online world.

SECTION ONE

CYBERSAFETY in the Bedroom SHOULD KIDS HAVE COMPUTERS IN THE BEDROOM

Shut the door on cyber predators While predators are out there, the reality is a very small percentage of kids will come to physical harm through contact with online strangers. You may have already installed filters to block pornography and inappropriate sites, but knowledge of potential dangers will help keep your child safe on other computers and their mobile phones. Researchers have found children who don't include photographs of themselves or their email addresses in their social networking profiles are less likely to receive sexually suggestive messages. But most kids like to have an image of themselves online – and avatars are a great solution. They're cartoon-like characters you can personalise and put on your profile. Better still, they're actually heaps of fun – and often free – to create. Visit www.free-avatars.com. When it comes to naming your avatar, choose something creative but non-sexual such as "Sk8trQueen", not "Sweet Sexy 16".

Keeping bullying out of the bedroom Education and child safety experts recommend your child doesn't use the internet in their bedroom. It is important to note that Social Media is ever evolving. While some areas still utilize MySpace or Facebook, kids here in Stuttgart have already moved into Instagram, WhatsApp or Snapchat to name but a few.

Former police officer and cyber-safety consultant Susan McLean says the internet can give the bully direct access to your child's bedroom; "the one place that they should be safe". However, if for some reason the only place your child can study and access the computer is their bedroom, consider options such as: • Leave the bedroom door open, with agreed random visits by parents • Create a technology curfew. Disable the computer, and remove the mobile phone from the bedroom at a certain time each night.

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Lack of sleep can be a nightmare Another compelling reason to make your child's bedroom technology-free is to allow adequate rest. Jennifer Hudson, a professor of psychology at Macquarie University in Australia, says teenagers in particular are prone to sleep problems, which will only be compounded if computers or phones rob them of vital sleep.

3. Decide together where and when technology can be used
 Dr Hudson suggests shared problem-solving techniques to get kids onboard with your rules – especially when they hit the teen years. Tell your child you're concerned about their sleep and their safety, and ask them to help you write down as many solutions as possible. "When you've both come up with a list, decide which ones you can toss out and which ones you can both live with," Dr Hudson says.

"As soon as adolescents start to take an extra half-hour off their sleep to check their emails in bed, or just texting someone (and that's often happening throughout the night), that can lead to an accumulated sleep debt for the week," Dr Hudson says.

4. Be consistent with rules
 "It's necessary for parents to set boundaries for their child," Dr Hudson says.

"We know when kids don't get enough sleep that impacts on their mental health, their functioning at school and their relationships."

She suggests consequences for breaking rules could be loss of recreational screen time or other privileges.

Setting cyber rules your child will keep

5. Get involved and stay in touch
 If your child has a social media page (used to be Facebook but is evolving more commonly into Instagram or WhatsApp or Snapchat), ask to see it. Google their name to see what they've posted that's publicly available. (If you can see it, anyone can, so there's no argument about respecting privacy.)

Dr Hudson suggests some strategies to help you make realistic rules your child can agree to and keep.

Discuss anything you're not comfortable with and suggest how it can be changed.

1. Keep the lines of communication open
 Negotiation with your child relies on having a good relationship. The way to maintain your relationship is by regularly spending time together, such as family meal times. "In our busy lives it can be difficult to find time to spend together, particularly when an adolescent is resistant to that because they believe it's ‘not cool' to spend time with your parents," Dr Hudson says. By making time for your child, you're also making space for them to tell you about their life. 2. Make it safe to tell
 Your child needs to know from the outset that if they are contacted by a predator or are being bullied, they can tell you without fear of losing their internet or laptop access. The fear of being 'cut off' from the online world could prevent your child from speaking up.

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SECTION TWO

CYBERSAFETY Online KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Keep computers out in the open
 Your child may think twice about looking at inappropriate websites and won't be able to chat to their friends all night while you think they are doing their homework.

Mind your business
 Remind your child to keep information such as their name, address, phone number, school and even your credit card number to themselves. When signing up to a chat room, they should use a screen name that is a nickname and not easy to work out. The same goes for choosing passwords – don't make them easy to figure out. If your child is going to put photos on the internet, ensure they don't show them wearing their school uniform (Stallion athletic jerseys, or any clothing with the school logo on it) – this can be enough to identify your child's school. Also ensure that any photos are not the type that would attract unwanted attention from strangers.

Just because it's on the internet, it doesn't mean it's true
 Make sure your child uses multiple sources for research, and is careful not to plagiarise.

Stranger danger is online, too
 Ensure your child never organises to meet up with any strangers they have met online. If they really want to meet up, encourage them to talk to you about it first and insist on going along with them. Remind your children to also be wary opening emails from strangers. They could contain spam (online junk mail), a virus (which will harm your computer), or be from a stranger looking for trouble.

Get a filter
 Internet filters can help block inappropriate sites for children.  None are completely reliable and it's best if you talk about what websites are appropriate with your child so they understand and make the right choice on their own.

Encourage your child to talk with you about their online experiences – good and bad
 This will make it easier for them if they see something inappropriate or are emailed something unsuitable. If they are embarrassed to tell you, persuade them to at least tell a teacher or another trusted adult.

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Good manners also exist online
 Talk about this with your child and it may lead to a decline in bullying behaviour, not to mention the many disagreements that children have with each other.

Forever is a long time
 A lot of blogs and websites maintain information as part of cyberspace forever. By publishing without thinking of the future, your child's innocent work online may be something that comes up later on and may negatively impact their career and personal life.

Danger signs Your child constantly sits on the computer in chat rooms or instant messaging, from straight after school to very late at night. Your child begins showing unexplained money or items that come from "a friend you don't know". Your child starts being secretive about what they are doing online – this could include anything from minimising screens as you walk past, to not letting you see their blogs/chat/ social media sites.

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SECTION THREE

CYBERSAFETY Social Media Privacy KEEPING SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVATE

Children under 13 years old are not permitted to register for Facebook. Ask about other Social Media. When Louise Williams' teenage daughters were communicating with each other via Facebook recently, her son was watching from his flat several suburbs away. He thought it was hilarious, mainly because the girls live in the same house. Yes, their bedrooms are next to each other, Louise says. "But, like many teenagers they bump into each other in cyberspace as often as in the living room." Facebook and other Social Media sites is a powerful social networking space. But for many parents who grew up squabbling with their siblings over access to the family phone it's a new frontier. Messages, comments, conversations and photos which were once exchanged personally are simply posted for many to see. Just how many depends on your child's Facebook privacy settings and the lengths they've gone to build up lists of cyber friends. Facebook is mostly a positive tool for social interaction, says Dr Kirsty Young, a specialist in education and social media at the University of Technology, Sydney. But again, please note that students are moving away from this tool and investigating others such as Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp or Snapchat.

It is important to note that Social Media is ever evolving.

While

some areas still utilize MySpace or Facebook, kids here in Stuttgart have already moved into Instagram, WhatsApp or Snapchat to name but a few.

However, Facebook, as an overall example, gradually exposed more and more personal information on its pages. As public search functions and third parties were able to reveal that information, there was global debate over privacy, the on-selling of personal information by web companies and the potential for cyberbullying or stalking on social media pages. Some Facebook users even launched Quit Facebook Day, commenting that "Facebook makes it damn difficult for the average user to understand or manage" their privacy settings. After much bad press, in August 2011 Facebook made sharing and privacy options more visible, by introducing a dropdown menu on the Status and Wall pages. The best way to understand these new  functions is to read the Facebook Blog entry "Making it easier to share with who you want".

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5.

How young is too young?

Also ask them to show you how to block someone, how to refuse a friend request from a stranger and how to un-tag themselves from other people's photos; that is, take their searchable name off an image.

Children under 13 years old are not permitted to register for Facebook and accounts will be deleted if the company is notified of an underage user. It is important to identify other limitations for other tools as well and ISS will continue to monitor and inform as we keep up with the newer tools such as Instagram or WhatsApp.

Friends only

However, it's safe to assume there are many underage Facebookers, despite the median age of Facebook users being 26.

There are two other important settings if you want to maximise your child's privacy.

Vice-chair of the EFA Geordie Guy says it's not an environment designed for younger children. "As a parent you need to think about whether you would want younger children in this environment … think of it like a virtual party of young adults, and ask yourself if you would want an eight-year-old to go along," he says. Another issue often overlooked is that Facebook is a business. Advertising is Facebook's revenue stream and if kids link to brands and businesses via Facebook they are joining commercially valuable consumer data.

The Australian internet advocacy group, Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), recommends all Facebook users select 'Friends only' for all functions.

From 'Privacy Settings' choose 'Applications and websites' then go to 'Instant personalisation'. This is the controversial program which shares information with Microsoft, Pandora and Yelp, and it requires you or your child to opt out by clicking Edit settings and unticking the box. You can also go to 'Search' via 'Privacy Settings' and choose to disable the public search function in the same way.  

ISS WILL UPDATE THIS PAGE IN THE FALL OF 2014 TO INCLUDE OTHER MEDIA SITES OR TOOLS AS THEY CONTINUE TO PROLIFERATE AMONGST OUR STUDENT BODY.

Five ways to help your child manage Facebook 1. Start by signing up your own Facebook account, work out how to make a few friends and spend a couple of hours navigating your way around. 2. Find the privacy settings in the drop down menu by clicking on 'Account' in the top right hand corner on the page. Facebook organises privacy settings into 'Everyone', 'Friends of friends', 'Friends only' and 'Customise', which can restrict access to an individual or small group. 3. Search for your child online yourself. You may find that their profile information including their name, photo, and a list of names and photos of all their friends can be accessed by anyone with a computer. 4. Then, ask your child to show you how their privacy settings are configured and find out whether they understand them.

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SECTION FOUR

CYBERSAFETY Tips for Parents 10 CYBERSAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS

Keeping your kids safe online is easy with a few simple precautions.

On electronic versions of this book, the image below is a video clip explaining the text on the right.

1.

Nothing replaces parental supervision and education for kids about cybersafety.

2.

Set a technology curfew.

3. Remind your child to never give out identifying information such as your home address, school name or telephone number in a public message such as chat or newsgroups. 4.

If your child posts photos online, use privacy settings to limit access to people they know well.

5. Remind your child that people don't always tell the truth online, and they can't take anything at face value. 6.

Reassure your child that they can tell you anything, without fear of losing the laptop or internet access.

7. If they get a message or email that's threatening or rude, they should 'STOP, BLOCK, TELL'. First step is to tell your child to stop responding to the abuse and then block those people sending threatening or rude messages if they continue. Let your child know that if they are being bullied, or know someone else who is, they should tell a trusted adult. 8. Never click on any links that are contained in emails from people they don't know. As well as sexual content, they could contain a computer virus. 9. If you suspect your child has been contacted by a predator, try to save a copy of the chat log (or whatever form the contact takes) for evidence. Call your local authorities (usually police). 10. Your child will be using computers and the technology for the rest of their lives – you're in the great position of being able to get them off to a safe, positive start.

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Chapter 2

CYBERBULLYING

In a world where friends are made with a click, its not surprising that relationships are just as easily terminated. So is unfriending just unfriendly or is it cyberbullying? What if a group of students gang up and publicly unfriend your child? Does that constitute bullying?

SECTION ONE

CYBERBULLYING Hitting Home WHEN CYBERBULLYING HITS HOME

Bullying knows no bounds Tilly was about 14 years old when she was cyberbullied by a school friend. Her mum Hannah says the abuse, which lasted about 12 months, started online but affected the family offline as well. "[Months later] I was up at the bus stop near my youngest child's school, with a cloth, rubbing out rude graffiti about Tilly." In the online world, it can be even harder to clean up the mess. Many kids still don't realise that comments and photos they post online could be there forever, or that once it's out there, you can't control who sends it on and who sees it. This potentially permanent record of humiliation also makes it easy for kids who are being bullied to reread the abuse, and relive the trauma.

A parent's perspective Hannah says, with hindsight, she didn't know enough about her daughter's online social life, mainly because the technology was still quite new. "Tilly leapt into that world very quickly using social media, MSN and texting," Hannah says. "I probably didn't keep up with her and what she was doing online as much as I should have. Whereas now I have a Facebook page and [the girls] have added me as a friend. I can look at what they're doing, what comments and what photos they have, and things like that. Before, it was all new and Tilly was quite secretive about it." Researchers say many kids won't tell their parents about cyberbullying, fearing the parent will overreact, and either make matters worse or completely ban them from the internet or mobile phone. Hannah says she felt very frustrated about not knowing the best way to deal with it. "I tried to not inflame the situation, but I probably did."

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Taking control of the problem One of the important things Hannah did do was control the ‘24/7' nature of the contact, rather than ban her daughter's online access. "When the phone bill was getting ridiculous at one point, I made a rule that everyone's mobile phone had to be on the kitchen bench by 9.00pm, so that the kids could go to bed without that interruption," she says. Hannah also spoke with the school and the school counsellor. "I tried to leave it at some point for them to resolve, but it's not wholly a school issue," she says. "It goes beyond the bounds of what a school can deal with. It's not all happening within school time."

Parents have to be participants One of the world's leading experts on cyberbullying, Professor Donna Cross, says the most important thing we parents can do is be involved and familiar with our kids' online lives. "Because most cyberbullying happens in the home, parents need to be aware of the technology that young people are using, so that they can be in that space with them and look at the ways in which they are engaging with their friends," Donna says. "It's easy for parents to see friendships developing when they're face-to-face, but parents don't understand how those friendships develop online, so parents need to be talking to their children from a very young age about where they're going and what they're doing online – and go and have a practise there themselves." What if you're just not interested in/ too busy to explore online social networking? Sadly, that doesn't let you off the hook. No amount of filters will replace your active involvement in your child's online life. That's partly because filters only block certain content. Your child will still have their mobile phone, email accounts, chat rooms and possibly even their gaming equipment through which they can interact with the outside world. But it's also because when your child faces relationship challenges in their social life (online or offline), you need to have enough shared experiences and understanding of their world for them to feel it's worth telling you.

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SECTION TWO

CYBERBULLYING The Other Side THE OTHER SIDE OF BULLYING

Researchers of kids who have been cyberbullied have found they have: • • • • • •

impaired social and emotional adjustment poor academic achievement anxiety, depression and thoughts about suicide poorer physical health higher absenteeism at school increased loneliness and low self-esteem.

There were also consequences for their learning. These children were either staying away from school, or when they were at school, they were thinking about how to be invisible at recess, or what people were posting about them online.

What about the child who bullies? The surprising results of research were the statistics that showed the kids repeatedly bullying others were just as likely to have the same symptoms as the children experiencing the abuse. They were just as likely to have elevated levels of anxiety and to be disconnected from school, according to Professor Donna Cross from Edith Cowan University. "And the kids who bullied had higher levels of depression than even the kids who were being bullied," she says. "They're also more likely to be engaging in other problem behaviours … more likely to engage in unsafe sexual behaviours, smoke, use drugs more often, graffiti, steal, truant – sadly they are a cluster of children, those who do it very frequently, who experience a lot of other troubling behaviours as well."

Why are they doing it? In recent studies, almost every child who reported they were using bullying behaviours had someone in their environment who was bullying around them – their siblings, parents, teachers or someone else who they learnt it from. Donna describes children in this group as "very troubled kids" who often need as much support as the children they victimise. "These children can't pull their socks up because they don't know what their socks are," Donna says.

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"Until we show them a better way to behave and help them to find better ways to be socially popular, then these children will fall back on the behaviours they've learnt from people in their environment." She says they may need "serious counselling" to prevent them heading further down the path to delinquency, and adds that children who cyberbully are 18 times more likely to bully others offline too. Renowned Scandinavian researcher Dan Olweus believes bullying behaviour may also be an indicator that the child is at risk of later engaging in criminal behaviours. In one Norwegian study he found 60 per cent of boys who were identified as bullies in middle school had at least one conviction by the age of 24, and 35 to 40 per cent had three or more convictions.

What's the answer to stopping kids from engaging in bullying behaviour? The short answer is that researchers are exploring different approaches to give us clear answers. What doesn't work is: • • • •

punishment on its own banning the child from technology excluding them from peer activities grouping so-called ‘problem children' together.

These approaches reinforce and often intensify bad behaviour. Donna says it's clear children need boundaries and consequences, and schools, parents and students need to agree on the consequences and be consistent in their application. Most importantly, children who rely on bullying behaviour to get attention and social acceptance need to be taught new ways to behave. If they're using bullying behaviours to help them become popular and accepted by the group they often need to learn other ways to get that social approval. "It's a relationship problem which means it requires a relationship solution," Donna says. "If we want children to behave better together we need to help them learn how to behave better together."

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SECTION THREE

CYBERBULLYING What Experts Say WHAT EXPERTS SAY ABOUT CYBERBULLYING

Cyberbullying is an extension of face-to-face bullying. It's all about relationships. So far, there haven't been any research findings released about effective solutions to cyberbullying – but it's being studied. Professor Donna Cross from Edith Cowan University in Perth is looking at effective strategies for parents and schools. Donna has also been heavily involved in much of the research we have to date.

How common is online bullying? • • •

It's difficult to know exactly how many kids are cyberbullied because they're less likely to report it, and it's usually not something parents and teachers can see (it's covert or hidden). Kids are also more likely to talk about cyberbullying as specific behaviours such as texting, flaming, happy slapping. About 10 per cent of kids report they are being cyberbullied, and that increases proportionately with age (and access to mobile phones and social media sites).

When are kids most vulnerable to bullying? • • •

•

Bullying – online or offline – peaks for kids (and this is worldwide) at about Grade 5, and again at about Grade 7 or 8. The first peak coincides with children discovering the power of the peer group, and creating their own social pecking order. The second peak occurs when children move from primary school to secondary school. In New South Wales it's in Grade 7. In Western Australia, where high school begins a year later, it's in Grade 8. This seems consistent with other industrialized nations world-wide as well. This later peak is all about social groups being mucked up. The social hierarchies that were well established are now all in disarray as new kids are thrown together in a new school. Every time you change the group, you increase the likelihood of bullying.

Who cyberbullies? •

Although technology doesn't cause bullying, it changes the nature of it. Kids who may never bully face to face will do it online because it's hidden, can be anonymous and they don't get feedback from the victim or peers of the harm they are causing.

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•

•

•

•

It's also easier for misunderstandings to occur – and become inflamed – when using the written word. Again, there are none of the traditional cues we use with our face and voice to convey humour or sadness, etc. The speed of online communication can contribute to bullying. Kids respond immediately without taking time to think through the consequences, or potential problems. (Who hasn't sent an email in a hurry and realised it's full of errors?) We also don't have good definitions of cyberbullying yet. Some experts say it needs to be intentional, repeated and between two people with different levels of power. Some parents would argue that one incident between kids the same age is also cyberbullying. Even the kindest, most passive child can inadvertently contribute to cyberbullying by forwarding on a humiliating, abusive or confidential message.

What parents can do to stop cyberbullying • • • •

•

•

•

•

• •

Understand where your kids are going online, what they are doing, and who they are talking to – this is absolutely vital. Spend time in your child's online world. You can't understand it otherwise. Accept and acknowledge how important technology is to your child. Don't ask your child if they're being cyberbullied. Use their language – have they seen mean texts circulating, humiliating photos or messages on others' Facebook walls? Don't downplay covert bullying. Parents and teachers can sometimes say things like "don't worry … it doesn't matter if you've been left out", or "just ignore the bullying". This tells the child that you don't take their situation seriously, and can even convey the message it's OK and normal for others to treat them this way. Kids won't tell an adult about cyberbullying if they fear the result will be removal of the phone or internet access. Discuss this with your child and reassure them that's not how you'll deal with it. Teach your kids how to be good cyber citizens (careful, private, empathetic) before they reach Grade 4 (by about nine years old, or when they may begin to venture online). Much of cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying is learned behaviour. Look at what behaviours you're modelling to your kids. Is sarcasm and point-scoring part of your family culture? It's often how you say something that matters. Don't contact the other child, but do tell the school. Don't immediately assume your child is being victimised and the other child is just a bully. Miscommunications get out of hand quickly and often both parties feel hurt.

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SECTION FOUR

CYBERBULLYING and Active Kids WHY ACTIVE KIDS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE CYBERBULLIED

We all know that getting kids off the computer and outside to play is important for their health. But researchers at Griffith University (Qld) have found kids who do extracurricular activities (such as sport or voluntary work) tend to be safer online, encounter less cyberbullying, and are more resilient to harassment if it occurs. On the other hand, researchers found that kids who spent a lot of time online were: • • • •

isolated in their computer usage (such as having the computer in their bedroom) more likely to take risks more stressed likely to report higher levels of cyberbullying and harassment which distressed them.

The report, The Impact of High Speed Broadband Development on Youth Consumption of Internet (online) Interactive Services and Consumer Well-Being, published last year by Dr Margee Hume and Associate Professor Gillian Sullivan Mort, stated it's actually not what children are doing online that is the problem, it's what they are doing offline which is the key to their wellbeing. The pair interviewed more than 150 children between the ages of 10 and 18 and found those involved in fewer extracurricular activities were also the ones most likely to exhibit risky behaviour online.

Exercise strengthen resilience During the course of the study, Dr Hume found that keeping children occupied and active away from the computer for at least 30 minutes a day was one of the key components of cultivating a healthy and safe relationship with the internet, and this is where parents came to the fore. "Exercise was a big factor. All the kids who were participating in sports or dancing and other activities not involving the internet had experienced fewer problems online," she said. The results also showed that these children had a better sense of self and wellbeing, and could balance out instances of cyberbullying with their friendships away from school and the web. They were also less likely to be negatively affected by bullying and could switch off or walk away. They found the children who were most at risk were those who were socially and geographically isolated, did not have a strong interest in other activities, and whose parents had little or no understanding of the technology their children were using.

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Put the communication back into technology Dr Hume was amazed at the divide between the children's computer usage and the parents' knowledge of how they used technology and what they used it for. "One thing that would really help bridge this divide is if parents said to their children, ‘Tell me about [for instance] Messenger? I'd like to have an account. Could you show me how to set it up and use it?' This way, parents have valuable interaction time with their kids and they go on the journey with them. But importantly, they also get to understand the technology their children are using and its potential. It's very powerful." The research indicates it's important for parents not only to have more of an understanding of the technology their kids are using to communicate, but also to balance the time their kids spend online with other activities away from the computer. It's also important to ensure the computer is in a communal area, not in an isolated place, like the bedroom. Dr Hume is a big advocate of parents ‘skilling up' on technology and not being afraid of it, or worse, ignorant. "Lack of parental supervision, isolated or excessive computer use, and lack of offline activity all increase the risks associated with online activity," said Dr. Hume. "It's about establishing a different relationship with your kids and meeting them half way."

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SECTION FOUR

CYBERBULLYING Tips for Parents CYBERBULLYING PREVENTION- TIPS

The statistics around cyberbullying are sketchy, mainly because it often goes unreported. What we do know is that the likelihood of children being bullied online or over the phone increases as they get older and use technology more frequently. We also know that parents typically monitor their younger children's online activities more than they do tweens and teenagers. Unfortunately the age when kids are most likely to be cyberbullied coincides with when we're least likely, as parents, to know about it.

Say NO to cyberbullying – tips for parents 1.

2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

Talk to your child about cyberbullying before it happens. Work out strategies to address cyberbullying that both of you are comfortable with so your child knows what to expect if they do report their concerns to you. Establish one or two other trusted adults your child is comfortable in approaching about their concerns. Be aware of what your child is doing online and explore it with them. Keep the lines of communication open so your child will be comfortable about talking to you if something is worrying them. Help your child to develop the skills they need to interact safely and respectfully online. Guide their online activities and help them learn to communicate appropriately with friends and family. Try to locate the computer in a shared or visible place in the home. Discuss the kinds of sites that are ok to explore and those that are not and have clear rules about online activities. Help your child to block anyone who sends offensive content. Most social networking services allow users to block and report someone who is behaving badly.

What to do if you think your child is being cyberbullied 1. 2. 3. 4.

Discuss any changes in mood or behaviour with them. If you are concerned, help your child to stay connected to friends and family they trust. Work with your child to save some evidence of cyberbullying behaviour – it may need to be followed up by the child's school, internet service provider (ISP), mobile phone carrier or the police. If you need to involve your child's school, ask them to thoroughly explain their processes so that you can work toward achieving a positive outcome. (the school has an anti-bullying policy) Cyberbullying won't stop if it's ignored – you can help by listening to your child and working with them to take control of the situation.

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Chapter 3

USING TECHNOLOGY

Want to understand what the latest technologies can do and how they're being used? Learn more about what your children may be doing online and pick up some top tips to help keep them safe.

SECTION FOUR

USING TECH TOOLS Sexting/Screen SEXTING - WHAT EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW

Screen time' used to mean how many hours you spent watching TV and playing on the computer. Experts around the world agreed that setting a limit is best, and children under two shouldn't have any screen time at all. Older students in the IB Diploma program might have difficulty with this on a case by case basis but at that age, it is worth discussing with the student directly. The most important thing is to bring up the necessity to self-monitor. Today, with the growing number of tablet computer devices, students' ready access to laptops, an everincreasing range of mobile applications (apps) for learning, gaming, pay-TV, movies on demand, e-books, digital textbooks and more – the question of what screen time means is far more complex. So how can parents juggle the range of digital demands to help their children find a healthy balance? What new research reveals The 2010 University of Bristol's PEACH project studied more than 1,000 British children aged 10 and 11, measuring the time children spent in front of a screen, as well as their psychological wellbeing. An activity monitor recorded the children's sedentary time and moderate physical activity. The results showed that more than two hours per day of both television viewing and recreational computer use led to lower mental health scores.

SCREEN TIME

But unlike previous studies, the PEACH project showed that the time children spent on physical activity did not raise their psychological wellbeing. So irrespective of how active a child was, more than two hours of screen time per day was more likely to have a negative effect on their psychological wellbeing. Screen time overload With new technologies the opportunities for entertainment and learning via screen-time has grown rapidly. Parents now have to juggle requests to borrow the e-reader to read a new novel, Facebook time to catch up with mates, some ‘down time' gaming on the Wii or playing World of Warcraft online – and that's without including study time on the computer. But before you throw your hands up in despair, there are ways to take control of the screen time debate in your home. Seven tips from the experts: 1. 2.

You're the boss: some parents are hesitant to lay down the digital law and limit screen time, but the above research shows that it is in your child's interest to set limits. The two hour screen time grab: tell your child they have two hours per day and how they use that time is

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3. 4.

5.

6.

7.

up to them so long as they don't go over the time limit (or set a lesser time limit if you prefer). This is similar to financial budgeting – you have $20, spend it as you see fit. Have a plan: ask your child how they are going to spend their time so they get into the habit of planning their screen time, as opposed to just letting it roll on. Watch the clock: have your child get in the habit of writing down when they started, and when they ended. Logging time helps everyone to see that the rules are being followed. Food and drink free zone: eliminate food and drink in front of the screen. Family time in front of a movie together can involve a bowl of popcorn or other treats, but eliminate this element during solo screen time. Physical time: make sure your child is getting regular physical activity, which can include an evening walk with the dog or scheduled sporting commitments. And even if your child opts to take their screen time in one two-hour hit, get them into the habit of getting up at the one hour mark and taking a 10-minute break. Hobbies and other pursuits: busy kids are less likely to have screen time issues and, in general, report being more fulfilled and interested in the world around them.

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SECTION FOUR

USING TECHNOLOGY Digital Citizens RAISING GOOD DIGITAL CITIZENS

We're always reminding our kids to "pick up after yourself" and "cover your mouth when you cough", but lately many parents have had to add rules like "don't bring your mobile to the dinner table" and more importantly, "don't use my credit card to shop online". We're the first generation of parents responsible for equipping our children with ‘digital citizenship' skills – how to use technology safely and responsibly, and how to evaluate, manage and use the information and tools they find online. The UK website www.digizen.org, created by Childnet International, describes good digital citizenship as "building safe spaces and communities, understanding how to manage personal information, and about ... using your online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same". But don't our kids know more about all this than we do? Aren't they the ‘digital natives' (a name coined by US education writer Marc Prensky)? While it's likely your 10-year-old may have more experience with technology than you, adults and kids tend to start using the technology long before they're taught about responsible online behaviour. According to a report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in 2009, less than 18 per cent of respondents had formal training in how to use the internet. So, if you sometimes feel like you're making it up as you go along, you're not alone, it turns out most of us are. Being PC on the PC (or Mac) Schools and parents share the role of teaching good digital citizenship. Dianne Marshall, who has managed the introduction of laptops to all New South Wales Year 9 public school students through the Digital Education Revolution, says a good place to start is to follow the same rules for being a good real-world citizen. "Digital citizenship shares the same values we teach students to observe in the offline world: obey the law, have respect for others, act civilly and sensibly," Dianne says. "Being a good citizen can involve anything from following certain email protocols to paying for proprietary content online." Digital citizenship checklist Although the topic of digital citizenship is as broad as the internet itself, US educator and author Mike Ribble divides the concept into categories you may want to discuss with your child.

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as kids but are things we need to protect our children against. We also need to be aware of psychological issues such as internet addiction and cyberbullying. 1. Digital etiquette
 An obvious example is using lower case letters unless you really want to SHOUT AT SOMEONE. There are also issues such as removing previous contacts' names when forwarding a message on, what to forward to others, keeping attachments as small as possible, making the subject line clear, and checking spelling and grammar. 2. Digital communication
 There are lots of ways to communicate – but are they equally appropriate every time? For example, your son wants his best mate to come over. His parents may prefer to be phoned and asked in person (so they can verify it's OK with you) than have your son text the invitation to their child. It takes knowledge and judgement to communicate well. As children venture onto chat rooms and social networking sites like Facebook, they'll also have to make decisions about who to communicate with, how much information to share with them and how to interact appropriately with online contacts. 3.  Digital literacy
 "Everyone needs to spend time learning about technology before using it. Parents and teachers need to lead their children by providing a good example of technology use," says Mike.

8.  Digital security (self-protection)
 How much information to give online, whether to post and tag photos, where to have a webcam, even where to keep your computer are some of the discussions each family needs to have about security. "Internet users are either not taking or only taking limited measures to ensure their online security," he says. Filtering internet content is really an ‘entry level' requirement for any family. As much as filters can prevent many kinds of unsuitable content coming into your home, they don't protect children against cyberbullying, poor online communication skills, unintentional breaches of copyright, or most kinds of online fraud. Schools have increased the focus on teaching good digital citizenship. As parents we need to be well-informed too, so we can demonstrate and reinforce those same skills at home. You can find out more about choosing filtering software, firewalls, spyware and identity theft at ACMA's Cybersmart website.

The internet is an amazing research tool if you know how to assess the credibility of a site and its content – whether it's checking consumer reviews about a new fridge or research for an assignment, parents and kids need to learn and use these skills. 4.  Digital commerce
 Just because you can get something online doesn't always mean you should. "What's appropriate to buy or sell on eBay?" and "how do you protect yourself against identity theft?" are just two questions we should discuss with our kids. If your child is old enough to buy things online, do they know how to check that a seller is legitimate and that the transaction is secure? 5.  Digital law
 Cutting and pasting information from a website into an assignment isn't just lazy – it's also plagiarism. Downloading music or videos illegally is also something your child needs to be warned against. And if they argue that "everyone does it", tell them about 32-year-old US mum Jammie Thomas-Rasset, who was recently ordered to pay $US1.9 million to the Recording Industry Association of America for illegally downloading 24 songs in 2005.
 
 6.  Digital rights and responsibilities 
 The new-found freedom of being able to publish our thoughts online needs to be balanced with awareness that our words and photos can be hurtful to others and can exist online for many years. When something that appears online makes a child feel uncomfortable, they need to know how to deal with it. 7.  Digital health and wellness
 ‘Blackberry thumb', eye strain, hearing loss, back and neck problems never bothered us

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SECTION FOUR

USING TECHNOLOGY Multi-Tasking CAN KIDS REALLY MULTI-TASK?

Parents around the world are divided on this. Half watch their teenagers sitting among a pile of books, ear buds in, computer on, TV humming in the background and think, "I wish I could multi-task like that". The others stride across the room, pull the plug on the distractions, and ask the age-old question: "How can you study with that on?" Somewhere along the line we seemed to have absorbed the idea that teenagers can multi-task perfectly because they're digital natives. Perhaps we read it somewhere or heard it on the TV – can't have been paying full attention though because no-one's really sure where it came from. (Perhaps we were multi-tasking at the time – and that's a big clue where this is going.) Can kids multi-task? Absolutely. Will the results be the same as if they were fully focused on their study? Maybe not But aren't kids born with a phone in their hands? The University of Oxford's Institute for the Future of the Mind recently looked at the impact on students who were constantly interrupted by digital technologies while trying to learn. During the study, two groups (18- to 21-year-olds and 35- to 39-year-olds) were asked to perform tasks which required ‘a significant level of concentration'. Both groups were interrupted during the task with a telephone call, an SMS text message on their mobile or an instant message to a desktop computer. Conventional wisdom tells us that the younger group, being the generation who grew up multi-tasking with technologies, would have had a distinct advantage over the older group. Indeed, the 18- to 21-year-olds did perform the task better – until the interruptions were introduced. Organisers of the study say "the 18- to 21-year-olds lost this advantage over the older group, for whom the interruption did not significantly change performance". The older group was more able to switch attention between the task and the interruption and back again. Hold that thought Similar studies have been conducted using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which registers brain activity. The study by the Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neurosciences, Vanderbilt University, suggests the human brain shuts down one task when asked to do another at the same time. Researchers could identify activity in the corresponding part of the brain for each task, but noted the activity occurred first in one part of the brain and then in another – not both at the same time.

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Explaining this experiment, Professor of Neuroscience and author Bill Klemm says the delay is likely to also impact memory and learning. "If you try to memorise the first task and the brain immediately switches to the second task, performance of the second task interferes with consolidation of the memory of the first task." Professor Klemm points out kids are often juggling several distractions at once, which probably make it even less likely they'll remember all the details of what they're studying. Californian researcher and University of California, Los Angeles, Associate Professor of Psychology Russell Poldrack, PhD, says when distractions force you to pay less attention to what you are doing, you simply just don't learn as well. "Even if you learn while multi-tasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialised, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily," he says. Thinking ahead We also now know the teenage brain is still developing the ability to think and analyse information. The question is whether poor study habits now will affect their future ability to learn efficiently. The question isn't, "Should we multi-task?" –  life is full of multi-tasking moments for us all. It's more a matter of when we should ‘power down' and focus. Rather than pulling the plug on every possible distraction ask your child to schedule some focused study time each day, at least for their most challenging subjects.   Multi-tasking is an essential skill to have, but when you really need to study, it could be working against you.

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SECTION FOUR

USING TECHNOLOGY Social Media A CHEATS GUIDE TO SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter is just one of the latest (well, it's actually already a few years old) technologies that falls into the slightly fuzzy world of social media. Don't worry, if we're honest, most of us have only made a point of finding out about social media because: a) we have kids who are using this stuff and we want to know what they're doing, or b) our work lives have made it unavoidable. To understand social media, think about news in general. Traditionally, we received our news from papers, radio and TV. The media organisations decided what was news, and how and when they'd deliver it to us. With the internet came the ability for every single person to decide what was newsworthy, and publish it themselves at any time of the day or night. News flash – Beckham joins Forestville Under-7s 
 These days, the unlikely event of Forestville Under-7 Cockatoos winning their first ever soccer match becomes news - to their parents at least. So Alex, one of those proud parents, goes to his personal blog on Wordpress and writes about the match. On the blog, he adds a link to photos of the match (which happen to be housed on an image sharing site, like Flickr).
 
 Earlier in the season, the Cockatoos created a group on Facebook, where the parents post comments about the game, add links to inspiring soccer sites, and also share photos they have taken (with permission, or course). They even can embed a link to a video on YouTube, which shows how to celebrate a goal by pulling your shirt over your head and running in circles.
 
 Meanwhile, Alex is so thrilled about the win he just can't sleep and so he's up till the wee hours 'tweeting' on Twitter. Other people have previously chosen to 'follow' him on Twitter, which means they receive all the little comments he makes about the game, via their computers or their mobile phones. These followers are so amazed by Alex's comparisons between his seven-year-old and Beckham, they decide to go to his Wordpress blog for more details. Once on the blog, they click on the Flickr link and check out the match photos, too. (Where it becomes apparent that apart from the hair, the seven-year-old player doesn't share a whole lot in common with Mr Beckham.)


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 One Twitterer goes so far as to add the blog to his favourites on a social bookmarking site like delicious.com, so he can find the site easily from any computer in the world. He tags it using words like 'delusional dad', 'Forestville', 'under-7', 'soccer player', and 'Beckham', so that others can find it too.
 
 What type of social networking butterfly are you?
 
 This is just a very brief example of how some of the technologies might be useful in your life. There are many different social media sites and even more ways to use them. According to technorati there are currently more than 209,593,000 blogs alone on the internet  - not counting other tools like wikis, social networking sites or virtual worlds, like The Sims and Second Life. In a nutshell, not all social media technologies are useful to everyone. Leading Australian social network strategist and blogger Laurel Papworth has even written an article called What type of social networking butterfly are you? - it's a bit of fun but also gives a little insight into what sites you might check out.
 
 Twitter is for asking quick questions (140 characters or less) and getting quick responses. Other micro-blogging sites include Plurk and TodaysMama (designed for women).
 
 Facebook is a social networking site where users can join groups organised by city, workplace, school, and region, to connect and interact with other people. Other social networking sites include Bebo, MySpace and LinkedIn.
 
 Blogs, on the other hand can be rich in content, including links, images and ongoing discussions. Go to the technorati blog directory and search by keywords to find blogs that interest you.
 
 The key is to be brave and start with the social media sites linked here. Veterans recommend you 'lurk' (observe silently) until you get the feel of the community, the tone and the content - and check for a 'policy of use' to know the rules.
 
 What you will discover is: no matter what the topic, someone out there has decided it's 'news' and is more than ready to discuss it with you, right now.

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International School Stuttgart

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curiosity and individual involvement in learning. Relevance: Accessing and discerning real life connections between intellectual experience and the changing world. The ISS experience inspires its learners to develop a sense of pride and commitment to making a difference. A transparent and reflective partnership between students, teachers and family is fundamental to our mission.