Keeping Our Students Safe Online
Our students LOVE TikTok (and many of our staff members do, too). Short-form video creation is a fun way to exercise our creativity, learn, and laugh as an online community. We’re always impressed with the ideas our students come up with and the ways they work hard to execute them.
We also acknowledge that there are also potential challenges and dangers that come with so much online presence. To help our students navigate the online world well, we hosted a workshop last week on TikTok creation and internet safety. Here are three major takeaways, which you can also use as conversation points for the youth in your life:
Use a strong password for all our accounts, and use different passwords for different platforms. We had our students play this game to practice.
Be aware of your digital trail, the information you share online that can identify you. Never share private information, such as your full name, address, telephone number, age or birthday, or school with strangers online. But it is sometimes safe to share personal information, like your hobbies and favorite things.
Check in with yourself about your media balance. What types of media are you engaging with? For how long? How does that type of media make you feel? For example, scrolling through TikTok can be a healthy choice if it makes you laugh. But if spending too much time on TikTok makes you sad or anxious because you miss out on other activities you may enjoy, such as going outdoors with friends or sleeping, it may be an unhealthy choice.
We’re so proud of how thoughtful our girls are. They’re always asking such good questions about how to engage with the world.