Is your child a good cybercitizen?

Privacy is a precious commodity. On social networks, personal details can easily be shared from one person to another and may be used to obtain highly confidential information. To ensure that your child’s privacy is protected, discourage them from sharing the following information online:

• Mother’s name
• Place of birth
• Date of birth
• Etc.

Thanks to social networks, making friends has never been easier. With a single click, your child can invite anyone into their life. But much like the real world, the internet can be dangerous. How can you be sure that your child is staying safe? Ask them a few questions to find out how prudent they are online:

• Do you accept every friend request you receive?
• How do you know that a profile isn’t fake?
• Why do you think it’s a bad idea to meet someone face-to-face if you’ve only interacted with them on social media?
• Etc.

The internet gives us unrestricted access to a wide variety of content: music, images, texts, and more. However, free doesn’t necessarily mean royalty-free. Your child should be aware of best practices to avoid plagiarism and issues related to copyright and intellectual property infringement. If you’re concerned about their online habits, ask them if they do the following:

• Identify their sources
• Cite the content creators
• Avoid sharing content they haven’t created themselves
• Etc.

Content posted online or on social networks never disappears completely. As soon as a post is published, it no longer belongs to the creator. That means your child can quickly lose control of their image. Before sharing anything, they should think about the consequences of their posts. When your child is online, you can encourage them to ask themselves the following questions:

• Would I feel comfortable expressing this idea face-to-face?
• Would I feel uncomfortable if my parents or teachers saw this post?
• Could this post harm my reputation?
• Am I respecting my responsibilities and the rights of others?
• In five years, will I still feel comfortable with this post?
• Could I lose a job opportunity in the future because of this post?

Bullying is just as unacceptable on social media as is it at school. Even when hidden behind a screen, your child is responsible for what they say and do. Before posting a comment online, they should always stop and ask themselves if what they’re writing is respectful. You can encourage them to ask themselves the following questions:

• Are my words hurtful?
• Would I want to be spoken to that way?
• Is the information I’m posting true?
• Could this post harm anyone’s reputation?
• Do I have the permission of all those concerned to publish this photo?
• Etc.

Whether they’re browsing the internet or on social media, your child has certain rights:

• The right to control images of themselves
• The right to respect as a person
• The right to respect for their private life
• Etc.

All internet users have certain responsibilities that are intended to protect everyone’s rights. They focus as much on politeness as on mutual respect. For example, when your child is online, it’s their responsibility to do the following:

• Protect their digital privacy
• Respect the privacy of others
• Respect the terms of use for social networking sites
• Etc.

Children and teenagers are easy prey on the internet, so it’s important to ensure that they’re properly equipped to avoid potential risks:

• Content that’s inappropriate or intended for users aged 18 and older
• Online gambling
• Dangerous internet challenges
• Cyberviolence
• Cyberbullying
• Dangerous encounters
• Etc.