Raising Children in a Digital Age - Review and Giveaway

According to a BBC Learning Poll, "More than half of children in the UK (57%) have done something "risky" or anti-social online." (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-31311927) 

We are living in the Digital Age. It's nigh on impossible to avoid the Internet nowadays, and our children will grow up never having known a world without it. I find it amazing to see how easily my daughters use iPhones, when some of my older friends and family need a great deal of guidance with them. But that is also frightening. In all likelihood, they will grow up knowing how to use all manner of technologies quicker and more easily than we will. There will be parts of their online life that might not make sense to me. I fear that I won't be able to keep them safe. There's no escaping the Internet, but as parents, teachers, youth workers and others involved in the care and upbringing of children, we can equip ourselves to ensure that we and our children are able to enjoy digital media safely. The Hubby works in the technology field, so we'll certainly be able to keep abreast of new developments, but there are many out there who aren't in our fortunate position. There is a great deal of fear and mistrust of the Internet. There are many people who don't understand how social networking works. 

Bex Lewis's 'Raising Children in a Digital Age' is a fantastic guide and tool

What Your Footprint Says About You: Responsible Social Networking

Poor Paris Brown. Her irresponsible use of Twitter has landed her in very hot water. Much of the reporting has made it appear that she was in post when she wrote the offending Twitter posts, so it took me some time and internet digging to discover that the poor girl wrote most of her "offensive" tweets between the ages of 14 and 16 - before she was appointed as Britain's first Youth Police and Crime Commissioner. So, why all the fuss? Don't teenagers do silly things a lot of the time? Come to think of it, there are plenty of adults out there doing much worse. Paris is in the esteemed company of businesses, MPs and celebrities who have had to hang their heads after posting irresponsibly.

Many are calling for her to be removed from her post, claiming her youth and inexperience make her unsuitable for the role. Others are using the situation to further denigrate the opinion of young people these days. We are supposed to consider all teenagers to be irresponsible and poor role models, merely because one girl has made some stupid mistakes. I know a lot of young people from my time as a teacher and a youth worker. The majority are intelligent, well-mannered, valuable members of society. It is wrong to tar them all with the same brush.

What I think this event highlights is the need for better education in the areas of technology and social media. Children and young people are taught about internet safety, about not revealing too many personal details or posting photos of themselves, but seemingly nothing about the power of their digital footprint. Future employers can search the internet for our past and make decisions based on what they discover. Have we failed our young people by providing them with all these tools - Twitter, Facebook, iPhones, Blackberries, etc. - and failing to give them the education they need to use them responsibly?