Teaching Digital Resilience to My Children

If you were to let your children freely use current technologies, would they act wisely?  

The answer can motivate you to learn more about "digital resilience" and to work with your children to acquire the digital skills necessary to make sure they can cope with online challenges and achieve digital resilience.  

What is digital resilience? 

The concept of digital resilience refers to a set of skills that children need to safely navigate the risks of the online world. It is fundamentally about the ability to differentiate between right and wrong in life online, to think critically, to make good decisions, to reduce their vulnerability toward harmful content, and to be aware of the dangers and consequences of their actions. In two words, it is about digital literacy.  

Digital Literacy is the ability to create, find, and use information online, therefore understand and use technology carefully to avoid its dangers. 

How do I teach my child digital resilience? 

How much screen time should you then allow? Why shouldn't they be watching a certain type of video? What is the difference between an innocent joke and harassment and bullying? 

Children need their parents to guide them in the digital world, set the limits, and teach them how to protect themselves. 

Yes, it is true that parents can use parental controls, but they are only their family's first line of defense. Besides protection provided by reliable technology, will never replace parents, their involvement, and their advice. 

Building digital resilience is an important issue because no parents can guarantee for their child an environment in which they will not encounter any problems. On the other hand, the most resilient children are those who use the Internet in the way most suited to their needs. They are also the ones who are best able to deal effectively with any problems they may encounter online. 

So, how can I help my child practice digital resilience? 

• A child develops digital resilience when their parents are available to their needs, answer their questions and take an interest in their digital activities: It is also important that parents respect the child's point of view. A child who sees his ideas constantly being criticized by his parents will lack the much-needed support.  
• A child develops digital resilience when they receive unconditional support and constant communication from their parents: Whatever digital activity that the child does and whatever the problems this might present; children must be sure that their parents will understand. This said, a child also needs to have his own experiences. The few hiccups and excesses that freedom gives the child are largely compensated by the feeling of autonomy that the child builds when he feels supported and heard.  

Attitudes based on surveillance and restriction cannot be the only answers. It is important to develop children's resilience by supporting their coping skills, developing their digital literacy and establishing habits based on good digital practices. 

How will digital resilience benefit them for the future? How will it benefit their education and future career?  

Digital literacy creates a pool of educational, economic, and lifestyle opportunities. While children initially engage with entertaining activities online, they are also learning and acquiring skills that will enhance their lifestyles, whether they are building their ability to research and access essential services or developing their sense of creativity and self-expression. Most of the skills children acquire online will directly widen their future, hence enhancing their employability. 

This is of paramount importance given the growing need for digital literacy on the part of most employers.  In the workplace, research, data, lectures, training, debates, and collaboration between teams are all moving online, which means tomorrow’s employees will be expected to have extensive experience in using online tools.  

On a lifestyle and social level, children will also need to know how to access all types of services online and how to manage these services to keep up with the requirements of the new digital era.   

How does it affect and guarantee their online safety and security? Moreover, how will it help them face online challenges including social media challenges? 

The Internet plays a vital role in the lives of children who can easily fall victim to experiences online that can cause them harm. That can range from cyberbullying to social media negatively impacting on emotional health and wellbeing. It can also mean seeing or sharing content which is neither true nor age-appropriate. When kids acquire digital resilience, they will be perfectly able to navigate content and discern between right and wrong online behaviour.  

Practical tips to teach your kids digital resilience 

• Set boundaries: Explain to your child the need to put restrictions, otherwise they may interpret the limitation as a punishment.   
• Manage their time online: Children get addicted to the Internet, especially online games. Create a good balance between online and offline time and explain the benefits of both. 
• Turn on parental safety settings: Websites and broadband providers often have parental and privacy settings to help parents keep children safe online. YouTube and other websites offer kid-friendly sign-ins and search options.  
• Be truly involved and show interest: Try to get involved with what your child is doing online. Play games with them and check fun ways to interact with online content. 
• Communicate: Be aware of their online activity and the apps they’re using. Discuss them openly and keep reminding them that they can always talk to you about absolutely anything related to their online behaviour. This is the best way to deal with eventual problems. 

The key to children's safety is not to keep them away from the internet, but to help them understand when and why they are at risk online, offer help if something is bothering them, and learn lessons from their experiences and their mistakes. At the end of the day, no one can protect them as good as their own selves.