Common Sense on Digital Life
FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Digital Life What’s the Issue? We may think of our kids’ online, mobile, and technological activities as “digital life,” but to them, it’s just part of life. Their world is as much about creating media as it is about consuming it. Media devices have converged and become extremely powerful and portable. Phones aren’t simply for phone calls anymore but for listening to music, sending texts, filming videos, snapping and sharing photos, and accessing the Internet. Our kids use their computers to do their homework, but they also use them to socialize, stream video, and create movies and songs. And they can connect and communicate 24/7 from just about any location.
Why Does It Matter? We want our kids to make good decisions so they can take advantage of the powerful technology that fills their lives. In order to make good choices, kids must know how the digital world works. The very nature of the constantly connected culture means kids must understand the concept of privacy, so that what they post and create won’t hurt or embarrass them at some point in the future. The fact that much of digital communication is anonymous means that consequences that might seem obvious in face to face interactions may not be as clear online. Much of the task of childhood and adolescence involves figuring out who you are. But in digital life, anything said or posted can live on indefinitely and create undesired consequences. The stakes are high because our kids’ technological abilities can be greater than their maturity and judgment. Having unrestricted access to information and people can result in gaining a wealth of information and experiences. But it can also mean accessing inappropriate contact and content. The difference between a great experience and an iffy one lies in the decisions kids make. Just as kids learn to eat properly, swim safely, or drive a car carefully, they need to know how to live in the digital world responsibly and respectfully. Their ultimate success depends on their abilities to use digital media to create, collaborate, and communicate well with others. Those who master these skills in using digital tools will be able to harness the digital world’s awesome power.
common sense says
Teach kids the skills they need to use technology wisely and well. It’s hard to be a gatekeeper in a world with no fences. Parents have little control over the flow of information to their kids, who see too much, too soon. We no longer hear conversations or see what our kids create and share with others. Since we cannot cover their eyes, or shadow them everywhere they go, we need to teach them how to behave responsibly in the digital world.
Keep an open mind. We don’t see the world the way our kids do. And we don’t help our kids when we judge their lives through the lens of a non-digital world. It’s important for us to understand that our kids will spend much of their lives in a connected world, where everyone creates and communicates.
Don’t be afraid. Parents can’t afford to be technophobic. Our kids adopt technologies faster than we do. That means they’re often way out in front of us. This fact can upset the parent-child relationship. So get in the game. Have your kids show you how to do something online if you don’t already know.
Share wisdom. Kids often don’t understand the implications of their actions. But we do. So we have to remember to extend our basic parenting wisdom to the digital world. We teach kids to choose their words
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 carefully, play nicely with others, and respect their teachers. Now we have to extend those lessons to a vast, invisible world.
Pass along your values. One of the most important jobs of parenting is instilling in your kids the values you cherish. But in a digital world where actions are often divorced from consequences, where kids can be anonymous, and where they aren’t face to face with the people they communicate with, they can lose their way. As parents, we have to be able to translate our values into the digital world and help kids understand the implications of their actions.
Seek balance. It’s hard to know how much freedom to give kids. We want them to explore, enjoy, communicate, and create. We also want to be sure they are protected, or know how to protect themselves. If our kids are going to thrive with digital media, we must balance the negative with the positive, privacy with protection. As our children grow, they need more independence and privacy. But parents have to be sure their kids know how to be safe and responsible before letting them loose. Kids need to see both the possibilities and the perils of digital life, so they can act responsibly and seize all that is wondrous about digital media to enrich their lives.
DIGITAL LIFE / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2016
www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 2 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Online Security
What’s the Issue? Just as in real life, it is important that teens know who they can trust with their information on the internet. Entering information such as their name, age, and address into forms and profiles online is common, but teens can be tracked by companies or tricked into scams that put themselves at risk for identity theft. Maybe they are tricked into filling out a form for a fake sweepstakes. Maybe they click on an attachment that installs spyware on their computer. Or maybe they click on ads and enter their email address, which the advertiser can then sell to other companies.
Digital security refers to keeping us, our information, and our digital devices secure from outside threats. These issues affect everyone – teens, families, and even whole online communities. Online security issues can be divided into three categories:
Scams and identity theft. Criminals may try to trick teens into giving out private information. They use this information to attempt identity theft, which can ruin a teen’s financial future and make it difficult to make purchases and get loans. Criminals target young people and children because they have cleaner financial records than adults. Risks include: • Phishing: Phony emails, messages, texts, or links to fake websites that scam artists use to trick people into giving out personal and financial information. • Clickjacking: Scam artists tricking users to click on a seemingly harmless webpage, usually on a social network site, in an attempt to steal information or spread scams to others.
Viruses and spyware. Many teens download and share music, movies, or games. However, teens should only download from secure sites, and avoid clicking on links and attachments that can put themselves at risk. Viruses and spyware can be blocked with security tools. Risks include:
• Computer Virus: A program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another through the internet, CD, DVD, or USB drive. A virus attaches itself to a program so that each time it runs, the virus does too, causing problems on the computer. • Spyware: Programs that secretly collect small pieces of information about a computer user without him or her knowing.
Companies tracking users. One of the fastest-growing business strategies is to monitor the information, behavior, and even location of internet users. Companies do this so they can personalize visitors’ experiences and sell their information to advertisers. On the downside, most teens don’t know that their online activity is being tracked. Companies aren’t legally required to share how they track consumers’ behaviors, which is often buried in the fine print of their privacy policies. On the upside, it can be nice for teens to have websites tailored to their interests. Issues include: • Cookies: Data files stored on computers when people visit certain sites, which companies can use to identify repeat customers and personalize visitors’ experiences. • Targeted Advertising: Ads that are tailored to internet users based on the information companies have collected about them.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 Why Does It Matter? Teens should understand that when they’re online, companies are watching and tracking their behavior, and scam artists might be trying to trick them into giving out information. If teens don’t understand digital security risks, their devices can be damaged, they can fall prey to scams, or they can increase their risk of identity theft. It’s up to teens to protect themselves so they don’t become targets.
What Families Can Do What are the benefits and drawbacks of companies tracking your online information, behavior, and location? When you download from the internet, how do you make sure it’s from a secure site? Have you ever encountered a phishing mess? common sense says
Create strong passwords. A powerful password does wonders to protect accounts. Teens should never share passwords with friends, and they should update their passwords often. A great site for creating strong passwords is www.strongpasswordgenerator.com.
Think twice before downloading. Content that teens download from nonsecure sources can plague a computer with spyware and viruses. Encourage teens to download only from secure sites.
Be careful when sharing information. Teens should be careful when sharing information such as full name, address, and account numbers. Messages that ask teens to share private information are red flags for scams. If teens suspect a scam, they should not reply to it and not click on links in the message. Encourage them to report such phishing to the service provider.
See what phishing and clickjacking looks like. It’s a great way to understand how to avoid being tricked. Check out the examples at: www.consumerfraudreporting.org.
Install the latest security updates. Your computer can be protected from viruses, spyware, and other security problems by using up-to-date security tools.
Consider limiting data collection. Help teens take control over their own information by: 1. disabling internet “cookies” so companies cannot track online behavior, 2. limiting clicking on ads, and 3. examining a website’s privacy policy before revealing any information on it.
Sources Common Sense Media. “Protecting Our Kids’ Privacy in a Digital World.” December 2010.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 2 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE SCHOOL Common Sense on Protecting and Respecting Privacy What’s the Issue? Our kids live in a culture of sharing that has forever changed the concept of privacy. In a world where everyone is connected and anything created online can be copied, pasted, and sent to thousands of people in a heartbeat, privacy starts to mean something different than simply guarding personal or private information. Each time your child fills out a profile without privacy controls, comments on something, posts a video, or texts a picture of themselves to friends, they potentially broadcast themselves to the world.
Why Does It Matter? Digital life is both public and permanent. Everything our kids do online creates digital footprints that migrate and persist. Something that happens on the spur of the moment – a funny picture, an angry post – can resurface years later. And if kids aren’t careful, their reputations can be harmed. Your child may think he or she just sent something to a friend – but that friend can send it to a friend’s friend, who can send it to their friends’ friends, and so on. That’s how secrets become headlines and how false information spreads fast and furiously. The stakes only increase when we remember that all of this takes place in front of a huge, invisible audience. Kids’ deepest secrets can be shared with thousands of people they’ve never even met.
common sense says
Help kids think long term. Everything leaves a digital footprint. Whatever gets created may never go away. If they don’t want to see it public tomorrow, they’d better not post it today. Explain to them that nothing is really private online – no matter what they think. Privacy settings aren’t infallible. Others can pass on information that is supposed to be private. It’s up to kids to protect themselves by thinking twice before they post anything that could damage their reputation or that someone else could use to embarrass or hurt them.
Teach kids to keep personal information private. Help kids define which information is important for them to keep private when they’re online. To start, we recommend that kids not share their addresses, phone numbers, or birth dates.
Make sure your kids use privacy settings on their social network pages. Encourage kids to think carefully about the nature of their relationships (close friends, family, acquaintances, strangers) and adjust their privacy settings accordingly.
Remind kids to protect their friends’ privacy. Passing along a rumor or identifying someone in a picture (called “tagging”) affects other people’s privacy. If your kids are tagged in friends’ photos, they can ask to have the photos or the tags removed. But beyond that, there’s not too much they can do.
Remind kids that the Golden Rule applies online. What goes around comes around. If kids spread a rumor or talk trash about a teacher, they can’t assume that what they post will stay private. Whatever negative things they say can and probably will come back to haunt them, in more ways than they can imagine.
PROTECTING AND RESPECTING PRIVACY / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2016
www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Boys, Girls, and Media Messages What’s the Issue? Imagine a teen girl clicking through her friend’s profile pictures, wishing she could look just as slender. Or imagine a teen boy purposefully waiting an hour before texting a girl back, to make himself appear more independent and detached. Teens are very aware of what it means to be popular, and how others perceive them. They turn not only to mass media for hints about how teen girls and boys should look and act, but also to their peers online. The problem is that the media often popularize narrow definitions of boys’ and girls’ roles. These narrow definitions can then make their way into peer-to-peer interactions online, making it that much harder for a teen to keep perspective on media messages.
Why Does It Matter? Consider reality television: It blurs the lines between truth and fiction, and it transforms ordinary people into celebrities. Social media can provide a similar framework for teens’ social lives. For example, most teens on social network sites know that there are invisible audiences to address and perform for. They text, upload, and post with the expectation that their friends will give feedback, almost instantaneously. And when it comes to real celebrity interaction, teens can follow stars on sites such as Twitter and see glimpses into their daily lives. Teens can even become overnight web celebs themselves via YouTube or Instagram. While this level of connecting, sharing, and networking is exciting on many levels, the price of internet fame can be great, especially regarding gender. Thus, the pressure that girls face to look good or even “sexy” online can get magnified. The pressure that boys face to look and act “like a man” can increase too.
What Families Can Do In this digital age, it’s important for teens to develop and practice media-literacy skills. Parents, relatives, teachers, and other adult mentors are well positioned to help kids analyze the gender messages they see on TV, at the movies, in ads, in games, and online – and to encourage them not to perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
common sense says
Find out what’s behind kids’ behavior. Often, the impulse to broadcast personal information (or sexy photos) is driven by the desire for attention. Ask your teens whether they want to get attention by being provocative, or by being themselves. Help them understand how certain choices will make them feel.
Discuss the humor in stereotypes. Stereotypes can be humorous, even ones that describe our own friends and families. But sexist and other derogatory comments online can do serious damage. Remind kids that it’s difficult to recognize the tone or intention of comments online, so their jokes and quips may be misinterpreted.
Be an adult role model online. Social network sites can magnify our desire to feel photogenic and “camera ready.” If you have a social network profile, keep tabs on how often you compliment your friends’ appearances in photos. Also, if your teens show you photos of their friends, be careful not to make remarks on how they look. Encourage your family to focus on accomplishments and attitudes, rather than appearances.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE SCHOOL Common Sense on Safe Online Talk What’s the Issue? Kids love connecting with others online. Most young people talk online with their friends and family rather than strangers. As a parent, you might be concerned that a stranger with bad intent could contact your child.
“Online predatory behavior,” as it is commonly known, is when adults contact kids or teens over the internet in an attempt to “groom” them for inappropriate sexual relationships. Many experts, however, have found that the more realistic threat for teens online is actually “online sexual solicitation.” This means encouraging someone to talk about sex, give personal sexual information, or send sexual photos or video. (It does not always mean asking for sex.) For instance, teens might receive inappropriate requests or messages from strangers or acquaintances. However, contrary to popular belief:
• Teens (ages 13 to 17) are more at risk for online solicitations than “tweens” or children • The majority of online solicitations come from teens themselves, or from young adults (ages 18 to 25) • Adults that solicit teens are usually up-front about their true age and intentions (Subrahmanyam and Smahel, 2011).
Why Does It Matter? When teens are led astray about what to look out for online, they can find themselves in unhealthy situations without realizing it. The allure of these kinds of relationships is not surprising, particularly for teens who are already vulnerable. Solicitors can provide teens with a boost of self-esteem with compliments and attention. And once teens engage in these relationships, they might agree to do things they would not normally do because of the imbalance in power between them and the solicitor. It is often not until much later that they realize that they were being manipulated. common sense says
Discuss responsible online behavior. Talk about who it’s okay to chat with and what is okay to talk about. Remember that many young teens are beginning to experiment with flirting and relationships. This is normal. Online flirting with strangers or acquaintances is always risky. Flirting can quickly lead to inappropriate conversations or requests. It may also lead young teens to believe they are in a serious, romantic relationship with someone they don’t really know. Both situations can make teens feel uncomfortable or manipulated.
Block, ignore, or leave. Most young teens know how to brush off unwanted contact. Encourage this behavior. Make sure your child feels safe telling a trusted adult. If something creepy or inappropriate happens, young teens need to know they will not get in trouble if they tell you or another trusted adult about it.
Talk to your child about healthy relationships. It can be difficult for some young teens to recognize when others are manipulating them, especially those young teens that want to experiment or prove that they are mature. Discuss which factors make relationships healthy, and why young teens should not compromise on these values.
Look for warning signs. Does your child seem withdrawn, spend endless hours online, or appear to be hiding
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 something? Young teens who wind up in inappropriate online relationships often show these warning signs. If you think this might be happening, ask your child about it.
Sources The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Enhancing Child Safety & Online Technologies: Final Report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force. 2008. Smith, A. “Teens and Online Stranger Contact.” Pew Internet & American Life Project. Oct 14, 2007. (http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2007/A.aspx). Subrahmanyam, K., and Smahel, D. Digital Youth: The Role of Media in Development. 2011, Springer, New York. Ybarra, M., and Mitchell, K. J. “How Risky Are Social Networking Sites? A Comparison of Places Online Where Youth Sexual Solicitation and Harassement Occurs.” Pediatrics (2008). 121(2), pp. e350-e357. Wolak, K., Mitchell, K., and Finkelhor, D. “Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later.” 2006. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin. (http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV138.pdf).
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 2 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE SCHOOL Common Sense on Self-Expression and Identity What’s the Issue? In the offline world, unless it’s Halloween, it’s pretty clear who you are. Online, your kids can be penguins, zombies, or ninjas. Their screen names can be SexyKitten or AngryBoy. The fact is, in digital life kids can be anyone they want to be. They can make up screen names, create fictitious profiles, or look any way they want by designing an avatar (a cartoon alter ego) that is only restricted by their imaginations.
Why Does It Matter? Because so much of the way kids interact in the online world revolves around creating personal profiles and avatars, identity starts to take on a new meaning. Playing around with creative identities can be a safe and imaginative way for kids to explore who they are. And having an alter ego can be a real gift for a kid who’s particularly shy or who fears rejection. On the other hand, a digital identity can be a way for kids to dodge personal consequences. When kids are disguised as anonymous, they can push limits and act in ways they wouldn’t in the real world. Some may explore antisocial or harmful identities – from being a thug to an anorexic. Others simply over-share and create reputations that might come back to haunt them. Either way, if there’s a large gap between an online and offline identity, it can fragment a kid’s sense of self (especially when the online identity gets a lot of feedback and the kid becomes dependent on it). Add in the potential of a huge audience, and kids’ natural desire for attention and recognition can turn into something less than healthy – perhaps a quest for “15 minutes of fame.” common sense says
Talk to your kids about anonymity. Just because your kids are disguised doesn’t mean they can’t be identified. They must be responsible for their actions, whether they’re portrayed as a penguin or a person.
Remember that exploration is part of growing up. Ask questions about your kids’ online identities. Why did they make the choices they did?
If your kids’ avatars or screen names concern you, talk with them. Ask questions about their choices. And don’t be too quick to worry or judge. Their identities can mean something deep, or be the result of a whim.
Identities grounded in hatred, violence, illegal activities, or risky sexual behavior should be avoided entirely. No child needs to be associated with unhealthy or unethical behavior.
Ask your kids to think about who they want to be in their online life. Is the digital identity they’re creating currently how they want to be perceived? How about in 5 years? In 20 years? Remind them that they have the power to present and control their identities and reputations.
EXPRESSION AND IDENTITY / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2016
www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE SCHOOL Common Sense on Dealing with Digital Drama
What’s the Issue? To adults, digital drama and cyberbullying may seem one and the same. To teens, there is a difference. Unlike cyberbullying, which involves repeated harassment towards someone, digital drama describes the everyday tiffs and disputes that occur between friends or acquaintances online or via text. A boy may change his relationship status to “single” immediately after a fight with his girlfriend to make a statement. A girl may post a comment about someone else, knowing that people will see it, that friends may chime in, and that people will talk about it. In the same way that the term drama describes a performance, teens usually engage in online drama with an audience in mind.
Why Does It Matter? Teens sometimes use the term drama to distance themselves from emotionally difficult behavior. But digital drama can still feel very real to teens, lead to hurt feelings, and even damage friendships. In some cases, digital drama can escalate into an offline fight – either verbal or physical.
Gender stereotypes also are woven into digital drama. Not only do many boys and girls think of drama as stupid, they also think of it as feminine. When girls are stereotyped as overly emotional and dramatic, they may have a harder time being taken seriously by others. Boys, too, may shy away from sharing their feelings for fear of being labeled “girly.”
common sense says
Help set boundaries. Families can support their teens by understanding that these days, relationships are often played out both online and in public. Kids need their family’s guidance in establishing appropriate boundaries for healthy relationships.
Let them know you’re always there for them. Remind teens often that you’re always available to talk to. While you’re at it, put in a plug for the school counselor, a favorite teacher, a coach, or even a friend’s parent. Knowing that they have a trusted adult to talk to may encourage teens to open up more.
Use media to talk about drama. Reality TV shows often display two extremes: women gossiping behind one another’s back, and crazy catfights. Point out that most reality TV shows have staged or scripted moments to keep their episodes action packed. Also discuss how these shows can encourage negative stereotypes about female friendships.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Cyberbullying
What’s the Issue? Cyberbullying is the use of digital media tools, such as the internet and cell phones, to deliberately humiliate and harass others, often repeatedly. Though most teens do not do this, those who do are often motivated by a desire for power, status, and attention – and their targets are often people they are competing with for social standing. Cyberbullies often take advantage of the web’s anonymity to antagonize someone without being recognized.
Cyberbullying can take a variety of forms, such as harassing someone, impersonating someone, spreading rumors, or forwarding embarrassing information about a person. A bully’s mean-spirited comments can spread widely through instant messaging (IM), phone texting, and by posts on social networking sites. This can happen rapidly, with little time for teens to cool down between responses. It can happen anytime — at school or at home — and often it involves large groups of teens.
Why Does It Matter? Cyberbullying is similar to face-to-face bullying, but online tools magnify the hurt, humiliation, and social drama in a very public way. Whether it’s creating a fake Facebook or MySpace page to impersonate a fellow student, repeatedly sending hurtful text messages and images, or spreading rumors or posting cruel comments on the Internet, cyberbullying can result in severe emotional and even physical harm. Though anyone can spot bullying behavior in the real world, it’s much more difficult to detect it in the online world. Sometimes an entire social circle will get involved, and then it becomes harder for an individual teen to disengage from it. In fact, whole groups of teens may be actively or passively participating, and the target can feel that it is impossible to get away from the bullies. In addition, hurtful information posted on the internet is extremely difficult to remove, and millions of people can see it. The following tips can help you recognize the warning signs of cyberbullying and serve as a guide for talking to your teens about preventing it.
What Families Can Do You seem down. What’s going on at school? Is anything upsetting happening online? I’m here for you and so are your friends. Talk to me anytime. Are there any teachers at school who have dealt with these kinds of situations before? I think you should tell one of them about what’s been happening. Bullies want attention, power, and status, which explains why they need to cause drama. I saw a news story about a teen who was bullied online. What would you do in that situation?
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 common sense says
Recognize context. Cyberbullying is often not thought of as “cyberbullying” to the teens involved. Even though an incident has a history, a story, and nuance, rather than referring to it as “cyberbullying,” try the words “digital cruelty,” “abuse,” or “being mean” online.
Help teens understand when behavior crosses the line. Help your teen tune into his or her own feelings. If they feel emotionally or physically scared, it’s time to get help.
Encourage empathy. Help teens understand the detrimental impact of cyberbullying on people who are targeted, now and later in life. Encourage them to listen to targets and to become their allies.
Be realistic. Teens have their own social dynamics that often don’t include parents, so helping them directly may be difficult. Encourage teens to find friends or other trusted adults to help them through the situation, even if it’s not you. Websites are often slow to respond, if they respond at all, but reporting an incident to a website administrator can be an empowering step.
Remember that your teen might be the bully. Teens can take different roles in cyberbullying at different times. A teen who is cyberbullied might turn around and cyberbully someone else to feel powerful again. Ask questions to understand what role or roles your teens are playing.
Tell them to disengage. Encourage your teens to ignore and block the bully, and even log off the computer for a while. Point out that cyberbullies are often just looking for attention and status, so don’t let them know that their efforts have worked.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 2 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Strategic Searching
What’s the Issue? Although most teens know how to type keywords or a question into a search engine such as Yahoo! or Google, they may not understand that there are many ways to search for information. For instance, most search engines offer advanced search strategies, such as filtering by date, exact words, or type of results like news, blogs, images, or video. Once teens have their search results, they should seek out a variety of perspectives rather than rely on the same sites repeatedly, such as Wikipedia. Teens also need to be aware of sponsored ads that will come up in search results with the word Ad in small print. Teens should avoid clicking on ads because they usually don’t lead to helpful or relevant information. Strategic searching will help teens find better information, more efficiently.
Why Does It Matter? “I’ll just google it,” is a familiar refrain. When teens want to know something, they usually “google it” by typing a question or search term into a search engine. Though most teens have learned some research skills for school, the majority of their searches are for information related to their interests. But whether in school or out, teens need to acquire skills to get the best and most relevant information in their searches.
common sense says
Go beyond Google. Encourage teens to draw on a variety of search sites. It’s easy to get in the habit of using only Google, Wikipedia, or About.com. But if teens rely too much on these sites, they might miss some other great resources.
Use multiple, specific, descriptive keywords. There’s a difference between searching for hip hop and searching for hip hop for social justice.
Try synonyms. A teen searching for rare cats, for instance, can use synonyms such as exotic cats or rare felines.
Use quotation marks. A teen searching for the president’s residence should search “White House” rather than white house.
Use a minus sign before a word to show you don’t want it included. If you are searching for mullet but you want the fish and not the hairstyle, you would enter: mullet – hair.
Pay attention to URL domains. The URL domain can be found at the end of a website address, and it tells people what kind of organization they are dealing with. Companies usually aim to sell products or services, while organiza- tions, educational institutions, and government entities usually aim to share knowledge and improve communities. .com = company .gov = government website .edu = educational institution .org = organization
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 Recommend trusted sites to search for specific issues. Rather than always using a search engine, there are times when it’s better to search within a credible site. You can recommend several trustworthy sites for your teens on topics such as: health and puberty (TeensHealth – www.kidshealth.org/teen/), current events (CNN.com), or homework help (Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) – owl.english.purdue.edu).
Sources Norton Online Family. “Kids’ Top 100 Searches of 2009.”
Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., and Zickuhr, K. “Social Media and Young Adults.” Pew Internet & American Life Project. 2010.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 2 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Research and Evaluation What’s the Issue? It starts in about fourth grade. Your child comes home from school with a report to write. Off to the internet they go. But as you probably know, not everything they find on the web can be trusted. These tips will help you look beyond a site’s slick appearance to determine whether it’s offering high-quality, trustworthy content.
The internet is bursting with information. Some of it’s correct, some of it’s questionable, and some of it is just plain wrong. But the internet is typically the first place young people look when they begin researching a report or are just trolling for information on their favorite topic. Though it may start in elementary school, they’ll continue using the web right through college and beyond.
Why Does It Matter? Anyone can publish on the internet, so not all sites are equally trustworthy. Teens have the ability to be more skeptical, but younger children tend to believe what they read and accept it as the truth. When children use sources they find online that aren’t of high quality, they risk using incorrect information, getting only part of the story, and worst of all, denying themselves the opportunity to truly learn as much as possible about their topics of interest. When children use a website for their research, they should make sure it’s worthy of their trust. Fortunately, there are ways to evaluate the trustworthiness of a site. It takes looking beyond a website’s inviting design to the substance and content of the material. common sense says
Parent tips for all kids Evaluate a website’s credibility. You can help your child dissect a website for clues to its accuracy with a little spy work. Here are some questions to ask that help determine the quality of a site. • Who wrote this? Check to make sure the author or organization is credible by looking at their title, expertise, and background. • Dot what? If the web address ends in .edu, then the material is from an academic institution; if it ends in .gov, it’s from Good Ol’ Uncle Sam – and both of them are good signs! • What is the source of information? Does the site come from a well-known newspaper or organization? • When was this updated? Has the site been updated recently? If not, move on. • What is this linked to? Was the site linked from another webpage that you trust? That’s not always a slam dunk in the credibility department, but it’s probably a good sign.
RESEARCH AND EVALUATION / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2016
www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 1 Compare multiple sources. Kids and teens should draw on several sites, for better accuracy. This will help them determine whether a piece of information is fact or fiction.
Watch out for ads. Help your kids notice when advertisers are trying to target them, and teach your kids to question what the ads are saying.
Parent tips for preteens and teens Follow school assignment guidelines. Teachers often explicitly state their preferences for where students should search, how many sources they should gather, and in what format citations should be written.
Use Wikipedia as a springboard for searching. If kids need a jump-start on finding information about a topic, Wikipedia is easily accessible. Remind them that they shouldn’t use it as a sole resource, only a launching point.
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www.commonsense.org/educators | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 2 FAMILY TIP SHEET MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Common Sense on Respecting Creative Work What’s the Issue? It’s Not a Free-For-All Our kids are used to having all types of creative work available at their fingertips. People’s writing, artwork, videos, and images can be inspiring, but they are also easy to take without thinking twice. We often forget about copyright law, which protects people’s creative work. Even though kids may feel they have the right to take and use anything they find online, the internet is not a free-for-all. Kids have responsibilities for following copyright law and respecting creative work online. There are exceptions such as fair use, which allows kids to use a small amount of copyrighted material without permission in certain situations, such as for schoolwork, criticizing or commenting on something, and parody. There is also material in the public domain, which includes work that is no longer copyrighted that kids can use however they want.
Some kids may not think about the hard work that goes into creating something like a movie, song, novel, video game, or website. They may not realize that copying and pasting material they find online and into schoolwork is plagiarism. They may not understand that illegal downloading and sharing of music and movies is piracy, which is stealing. Kids need to be educated about using copyrighted work online, make sure they get permission before using copyrighted work, and properly cite the work they use. They should also think about how they would want to protect their own creative work.
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Help your kid make a habit of using the following process to be a responsible and respectful user and creator.
1. ASK. How does the author say I can use the work? Do I have to get the creator’s permission first? 2. ACKNOWLEDGE. Did I give credit to the work I used? 3. ADD VALUE. Did I rework the material to make new meaning and add something original? Tips for Families with Middle School Kids We all know what pirates do. Remind your kids that illegal downloading of things such as movies, music, and software is piracy, and piracy is stealing. It also shows disrespect for the creators who made these works. Emphasize the importance of originality. At this age, kids appreciate giving credit where credit is due. Encourage them to come up with their own ideas. In writing for their schoolwork, posting to a blog, or making a remix, are they saying things in their own words? Or are they relying too heavily on the work and ideas of others? Encourage constructive commenting. At this age, kids may start to say mean things to each other – especially online – about people’s creative works. Encourage your kids to be thoughtful and polite when commenting on the work of others, both online and offline.
RESPECTING CREATIVE WORK / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2016
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Tips for Families with High School Kids Encourage legal downloading and sharing. Discourage teens from using peer-to-peer (PTP) sharing sites. Illegal downloading and PTP sharing sites not only pose legal risks, they also show a lack of respect to the creators of the content they pirate. Encourage teens to use legitimate online retailers, for their music and movie downloads. Challenge teens to take ownership of their work. Teens can get involved with copyright firsthand by licensing their work. Have they thought about how they’d like others online to be able to use their photos, writing, or videos? Encourage them to use licensing systems such as Creative Commons. Is it fair use? Your teen might be making video remixes, mash-ups, fanfiction, blogs, or artwork. Fair use allows creators to use a small amount of copyrighted material without permission, but only in specific situations. See if your teen can defend whether or not their reworked creations fall under fair use.
RESPECTING CREATIVE WORK / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2016
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