As students study aspects of digital citizenship it’s important that they be exposed to the concept that what they do online not only affects themselves, but others, including friends, family and people they have never met. How they behave in the digital environment has the potential to impact their safety, future study and career goals and personal relationships, connections and mental health (Hollandsworth, Dowdy & Donovan, 2011). Online behaviour can create negative consequences that may follow students for many years, possibly the rest of their lives and the reason it’s important to teach children what the impacts of having a poor digital footprint can do for them and those they network with online.
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Mental health
With one in five young people reported being a victim of cyberbullying, one in five young people also admit to treating a peer in a negative way online (e-safety commissoner, n.d). Students who use the internet regularly may experience online bullying by being the centre of negative comments, posts and images that are shared and posted without permission for the purpose to humiliate and hurt. These students who are targets of cyberbullying (33%) identify that their mental health has negatively been impacted (Gordan, 2021). A poor digital footprint has the ability to not only negatively impact your own life but also those you network with.
Lesson idea
As a class discuss the most visited sites by students. Look at some of the websites and walk students through how to block chat features and report a comment, post or profile.
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Disciplinary action and missed opportunities
Individuals who share and post inappropriate content may find themselves haunted by their actions for years to come. It has been reported that (55%) of companies have within their policy that candidates applying for employment must have their social media profiles checked before being offered a position at the company (McDonald, Thompson & O’Connor, 2016). Concerns surround children’s ability to fully understand the concept of permanency and questions lie in their maturity to make sound choices that will boost their online reputation rather than hinder it (Buchanan, Southgate, Scevak and Smith, 2018). However, doing nothing will only add to this and therefore educators need to keep re-visiting this thought with students in order for it to become meaningful.
Lesson idea
Students complete worksheet from Health Powered Kids by considering the reputation they would like to have online and googling themselves to see what their current digital footpring looks like.
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Lesson idea
Watch the above video and brainstorm with students what can happen when you post ‘dumb stuff’ online.
Privacy concerns
When we work in the online space we are potentially leaving behind important information for online hackers and identity thieves (Plaggemier, 2020).
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Students should be taught from a young age about not giving out passwords, personal information and not talking to strangers online, however with many students choosing to involve themselves with social media sites and apps (whether of age or not) students could be putting their privacy at risk and giving opportunity for someone to observe and collect data which can be used in a harmful way. Students need to be aware that they can be giving away their private information by checking in at locations, sharing videos and photos which may have identified features and rsvping to events or commenting on their future plans online.
Lesson idea
To pre-assess what details students believe are safe to share online about themselves, have them complete the personal information quiz.
Retrieved from Wordwall
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References
Behind the news [Behind the news]. (2018, February 7). Internet safety- behind the news. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDpQe0aEEck
Buchanan, R., Southgate, E., Scevak, J., & Smith, S. (2018). Expert insights into education for positive digital footprint development. Scan, 37(2) https://www.education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-37-2018/expert-insights-into-education-for-positive-digital-footprint-development
Common Sense Education [Common Sense Education]. (2018, November 7). What’s cyberbullying? Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ctd75a7_Yw
E-safety Commissoner. (n.d.). Cyberbulling- Young people are being bullied online right now. Understanding what to do about it can help stop the harm it causes. E-safety Commissoner. https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/cyberbullying
eSafety Office [eSafety office] (2017, July 27). Cybersmart forever
. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/227210174
Gordan, S. (2021). The real- life effects of cyberbullying on children. Very well family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-the-effects-of-cyberbullying-460558
Health Powered Kids. (2015). My digital footprint- student activity sheet. Online safety for kids: Your digital footprint and digital imprint. https://healthpoweredkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/229415-HPK-boundaries-lesson_horizontal_FINAL.pdf
Hollandsworth, R., Dowdy, L., & Donovan, J. (2011). Digital citizenship in K-12: It takes a village. TechTrends, 55(4) 37-47. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1007/s11528-011-0510-z
Internet Society [Internet Society]. (2016, January 12). Four reasons to care about your digital footprint. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro_LlRg8rGg&t=103s
Maclean, D [esafety office]. (2013, October 30). Be deadly online- Dumb Stuff. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/78227352
Morris, K. (2019, March 12). Don’t yap about your YAPPY online [infographic]. Kathleen Morris. http://www.kathleenamorris.com/2019/03/12/internet-safety/
McDonald, P., Thompson, P., & O’Connor, P. (2016). Profiling employees online: shifting public-private boundaries in organisational life. Human Resource Management Journal. 26, 541-556. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12121
Plaggemier, L. (2020). Owning your privacy by managing your digital footprint. National cyber security alliance. https://staysafeonline.org/blog/owning-your-privacy-by-managing-your-digital-footprint/
Sophie 12 (username). (n.d). Personal information quiz. Wordwall. https://wordwall.net/resource/47894/personal-information-quiz