Social Media & Students
This month, fourth graders are discussing social media issues during weekly technology lessons. Even though Facebook and YouTube require account holders to be at least 13 years of age, it’s important for students to be aware of how to stay safe and avoid inappropriate actions before they get social media accounts. I want parents to be aware of the safeguards their children are learning to help protect them from unwanted online interactions.
*Do not share personal information. We do not want strangers to be able to locate our children or take advantage of them. Things not to share are passwords, user names, full names, addresses, schools attended, phone numbers, and credit card numbers.
*Do not post images of children under the age of 13, unless they are your own or their parents have given permission for their images to be posted.
*Think before you post. Once posted to the Internet, you can’t take it back. Consider the privacy and feelings of other people before posting. You can always change your social media postings, but information remains in the history of the site.
*Set privacy settings and comment options to limit strangers from viewing your pages or commenting on postings. Be careful when accepting friends. You don’t have to accept every friend request. Don’t assume that strangers are being honest about their age or other details. Being careful is not being rude; it’s just smart.
Mrs. Kirschner/Library Media Specialist
