‍We sat down with Jeff Ervine who has years of experience in bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and social justice.

Before the internet, it was difficult to defame another individual but that all changed with the creation of the smartphone and the rise of social media. A smartphone is the combination of 4 powerful functions:

1. A telephone
2. An internet (social media) connection
3. SMS (Texting) capability
4. A Camera/Video Camera

These two technologies–smartphones and social media–have effectively merged to become the dominant form of communication and expression for most of the world.

What are digital identity threats and why are they important for parents to understand?

Digital identity threats create permanent, explicit prejudice that defames and reduces one’s future opportunities.

We define identity threats as any negative or threatening portrayal of you or your student, that can be easily seen by members of your community or anyone who wants to learn more about you.  Digital identity threats are primarily words and pictures, true or not, that encourage withdrawal from any community with which an individual associates. Digital identity threats create permanent, explicit prejudice that defames and reduces one’s future opportunities.  Social media has made identity threat a part of all of our daily lives.

How can parents keep their students safe from digital identity threats?

The internet is full of passive activity, constant one-directional communication, and too many unknown participants.

Those who grew up in the pre-internet, pre-social media world did not have to deal with digital identity threats. Before social media, students did not post and did not constantly broadcast their thoughts and images. Students did not become addicted to the telephone as the primary means for talking to friends.

Before the internet, students played in their own back yards where their parents, friends, and neighbors could easily guide them and keep them out of harm’s way. The social network consisted of those friends with whom students saw and engaged with “face to face” on a daily basis. Today student’s backyard is the internet itself, which is constantly changing and extremely hard for parents to manage. The internet is full of passive activity, constant one-directional communication, and too many unknown participants. It is a backyard where permanent, debilitating events happen.

Leverage technology to create safer environments

Parents must make sufficient time to support and engage students.

Smartphones and social media are obviously not going to go away. Parents must learn to leverage smartphones and social media to create safer, stronger, and more secure communities for our youth. Encourage students to use technology for what is it good for, saving time and crunching data. Improving culture and helping a student grow and mature socially is always an interdependent process.

How students learn, both academically and socially, is the same as it always has been. Parents must make sufficient time to support and engage children. Socially engaging group activities and one-on-one play has been proven to be a necessary ingredient in a young person’s social and emotional development. Use today’s social technology as a tool to source (sort) and deliver traditional activities that promote community engagement and individual growth.

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This post is brought to you by Digital Citizenship Conference sponsor, Bridg-it.

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