It seems inevitable; social media is taking over how we communicate, interact with and see the world around us – even more so for the youth of today.
Canadian Rockies Public Schools recognizes the challenge of navigating and controlling this brave new world as parents and educators and, as such, has invited social media expert Jesse Miller to present strategies for social media use at Canmore Collegiate High School, tonight (Sept. 21) at 7 p.m.
Miller works as a consultant for Mediated Reality, a Vancouver company that educates schools and businesses on digital citizenship, social media trends and usage.
Miller said our expectations of society have now moved online, but an evolution in the ways that teens communicate makes it difficult to monitor.
Social media and group texts not only expand a child’s network of friends, but have changed how they communicate with one another. Time restraints like no phone calls past bedtime no longer exist.
“The bigger concern is that they’re communicating on a 24-hour clock,” said Miller.
The primary focus of Miller’s presentation is the naiveté many teens possess about the long-term implications of what they share online or through apps and social media.
He says he tries to remove the hysteria surrounding internet safety and instead refocuses the dialogue on relationships children have with their peers.
“As much as we are aware of digital threats to kids, I’m of the belief that a child’s best friend might be the bigger concern in their school-based activities than an internet predator on the other side of the planet.
“My main approach with digital citizenship education is getting kids to understand that their best friend in Grade 8 might not be their best friend in Grade 12. The boyfriend/girlfriend they have in Grade 11 may not be the most trustworthy person with the images they send.”
Miller said a lack of parental oversight is leading to kids as young as second grade students to have social media access, but as an advocate for parents, he offers empathy.
“How would I behave in their shoes with this much access to technology?” he asked.
There are three questions he believes parents and children should discuss when it comes to social media usage: first, what is it worth? Would you pay to use the app or is there an emotional or long-term cost?
Secondly, how do you want the world to see you? And third, what are the best practices for usage, considering, in many cases, once something is online, it’s there forever.
Ultimately though, said Miller, children learn by example. If they observe a parent watching a movie while scrolling through their phone, it’s impossible to expect them not to do the same.
RSVP to attend at www.crps.ca.
