Staying Safe and Promoting K indness T hrough T echnology

1. Staying Safe and Promoting Kindness Through Technology Based on Words Wound, byJustinPatchin

2. Online Safety • With today’s technology it is important to educate yourself about how to stay safe when using social media and the internet • The internet provides the opportunity to learn, connect, create, and collaborate with others • The internet can also lead to concerns over privacy and safety

3. Online Safety Tips How do you stay safe using social media? • Be careful with the content you post. Once you post it, you lose control of that information. • Remember, once it’s out there nothing can ever be fully deleted from the internet. • Google yourself and be aware of what is posted about you online. • Never respond to mysterious messages. • Always log out. • Guard your information with passcodes/safety swipes. • Protect your passwords and keep them private. • Turn off your location app. • Think before you friend or follow.

4. Examine Your Online Safety • Search for your name and user names on popular websites like Google. • What personal information is on the web about you? • View your social media profiles as if you were a stranger who stumbled upon them. • How secure are your current safety settings? Do you need to adjust them? Remember to review often as they can change unexpectedly.

5. Cyberbullying • Social media can also lead to an increasingly common type of behavior called cyberbullying. • Cyberbullying:is harassment and intimidation that takes place through text messages, online posts, email, or other electronic forms of communication. It is defined as a situation in which someone intentionally and repeatedly makes fun of or mistreats another person on social media sites. • Cyberbullying is so hurtful in part because it seems like everyone is in on it, or that everyone can see the cruel content that is posted online.

6. Cyberbullying Facts • About one out of every four teens has experienced cyberbullying, and about one out of every six teens has done it to others • Cyberbullying is related to emotional and psychological problems such as low self-esteem, thoughts of suicide, anger and frustration • Cyberbullying is related to other behavioral issues including problems at school, anti-social behavior, and delinquency • Traditional bullying and cyberbullying are closely related: those who are bullied at school are bullied online and those who bully at school bully online Cyberbullying Research Center. (n.d). Cyberbullying Facts. Retrieved from http://cyberbullying.org/facts/

7. Responding To Cyberbullying • Here are some tips to combat cyberbullying • “From Cruelty to Compassion Video”: Clip 2

8. How To Make Kindness Go Viral • While social media can lead to cyberbullying, it can be used to encourage kindness. • Kindness matters and it’s contagious! • Research shows that people who see an act of kindness or compassion are much more likely to be kind and compassionate immediately afterward. • You don’t have to make a big, public deal out of what you are doing. Others will see it, and eventually your actions will start a domino effect leading to someone else doing the same thing.

9. How To Make Kindness Go Viral When you see cyberbullying: • Reach out: Just reaching out to someone that needs a friend can be one of the most powerful ways to promote kindness. • Post positive: Responding to cyberbullying with a positive post can deter further hurtful comments from being made and rally other people to do the same. • End it: Do not retaliate or join in cyberbullying when you see it happening. • Unfriend: Unfriend and remove people from your social media profile who make negative and hurtful comments to others. • Evidence: Keep track of dates and times of cyberbullying. Print screen shots, emails and text messages to give to parents, teachers or trusted adults. • Ask for help: If you see someone being cyberbullied, assist them in getting help.

10. How To Make Kindness Go Viral Make a plan to promote kindness and stop cyberbullying. It starts with you.