Preventing Cyberbullying with Digital Citizenship

October 12, 2015


From generation to generation, growing up hasn’t changed much. Kids fight with their parents about what they wear and when they do their homework. They struggle with finding who they are. And are scared of what the mean kids at school might say about their new haircut. There have always been mean kids and there have always been bullies, but now those mean kids aren’t just at school. There are more ways than ever for kids to hurt and harass others both in school and out. And it is everyone’s responsibility to stand up and stand against bullying of all kinds.

As you may know, October is National Bullying Prevention Month so we’ve gone back into the FOSI vault to bring you all you’ll need to familiarize yourself with cyberbullying, how to spot it, and how to talk with your kids about it:

But as much as this month is about awareness, understanding, and knowing what to do if you or your child is being cyberbullied, it is also about prevention and stopping bullying before the offense is made. Without being able to see the repercussions of one’s comments in real time, it is very easy to say things that you wouldn’t normally say while online. This is why it is so important to teach our children to be good digital citizens. Good digital citizenship is about thinking carefully about every post you make and every photo you tag. Take a beat, take a breath to ask yourself, “Would I say this to this person if they were in front of me right now? Who could I affect by posting this?”

Count to 10, Then hit send.

Practicing good digital citizenship is an integral part of preventing cyberbullying, which is why it has its own week during National Bullying Prevention Month. Use these resources to learn more about being good digital citizens and other reasons that it is important to think before you post:

Written by

Hannah Katzen

Hannah Katzen is a media/information literacy enthusiast and is currently pursuing her Masters in Education for Instructional Design at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She loves exploring connections between education and technology through instructional design, ed tech, and media literacy.