Slides (for School’s Use) to Brief Parents on Developing Your Child To Be a Positive Peer Influence Online

Sharing with Parents on Developing Your Child To Be a Positive Peer Influence Online A warm welcome to all parents to our sharing on Cyber Wellness. For today, our topic is on Developing Your Child To Be a Positive Peer Influence Online.

Outline of Presentation Current Technology Trends Online Opportunities and Risks Positive Peer Influence MOE’s Cyber Wellness Education Parents as Partners The outline of today’s presentation is as follows…

Current Technology Trends

Singapore: A Wired Nation Singapore’s mobile penetration rate: 149.8% in 20161 Our children access the Internet > 4-7 days a week and start using the Internet at 6.1 years old2 42% of our youth spend 10 hours or more per week on online activities3 Singapore is one of the most wired places on Earth. It is common to see people engaged on their mobile devices almost everywhere you go. Our mobile penetration rate was 149.8% in 20161 http://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest- data#8 , which means that on average, every person in Singapore owns at least one phone. Our children are digital natives and Internet savvy. The IMDA Zero-to-Fourteen Consumer Experience Study 2015 https://tinyurl.com/mru6nzy showed that most of our children went online most days of the week using their smartphones and started using the Internet at 6 years old. 42% of our youth also spent 10 hours or more per week on online activities, according to the National Youth Survey 2016. Footnote 3: National Youth Council’s National Youth Survey 2016 was a representative sample of 3,531 youths of diverse backgrounds, aged between 15 and 34, surveyed from October to December 2016. Reference: National Youth Council (2017). YOUTH.sg: The State of Youth in Singapore 2017 - Statistical Handbook. Retrieved from https://www.nyc.gov.sg/initiatives/resources/nys 1. Department of Statistics Singapore 2. IMDA Zero-to-Fourteen Consumer Experience Study 2015 3. National Youth Survey 2016

Daily Internet Use Among Youth (aged 15 – 19) Use a social networking platform 92% Get news on current affairs 78% Play online games 45% Look for health-related information 28% Here are some daily online activities of our youth, according to the National Youth Survey 2016. Buy things online 14% Sell things online 8% Source: National Youth Survey 2016

Online Opportunities and Risks Going online has its opportunities and risks…

Online Opportunities Harness technology for learning Future-Ready and Responsible Digital Learners Rapid developments in educational technology have ushered in new possibilities in teaching and learning. MOE’s work in ICT in education focuses on developing future-ready and responsible digital learners. ICT is to be used productively for quality learning in support of the total curriculum – to deepen subject mastery and develop 21st Century Competencies. These competencies include a sense of right and wrong, the skills of critical thinking and discernment, a strong sense of civic responsibility and a desire to better the lives of those around them. https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-system/21st-century-competencies

Online Risks While technology offers value, it may bring some potential risks such as: Cyber Bullying Excessive Internet Use Danger with Online Contacts Inappropriate Online Content However, while technology offers value, the open nature of the Internet may pose risks to our children. Some of these include: Cyber Bullying Excessive Internet Use Danger with online contacts; and Accessing inappropriate online content

Positive Peer Influence As we may not always be in the same digital space as our children, their peers could help to mitigate some of these online risks and be an additional form of support for them online. There is potential for youths to influence their peers’ behaviours positively. Hence, to create a culture of positive behaviour online, parents can play their part by developing their children to be a positive peer influence online.

What is Positive Peer Influence? Let’s watch a video: “Cyber Ninja Strikes”… [Play this video: “Cyber Ninja Strikes” (playtime 3:00 minutes) https://sdma.moe.edu.sg/cos/o.x?ptid=588&c=/sdma/sdma_gal&func=view&rid=4 299] This video “Cyber Ninja Strikes” was produced by students from Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School and it won the Platinum Award (Primary) at the Schools Digital Media Awards 2017. It shows the effect children’s mean words can have on others and also the power of positive peer influence.

What is Positive Peer Influence? Peer influence is the effect an individual can have on their friends to change their attitudes, values or behaviours. The Cyber Wellness principle of positive peer influence encourages our students to: Be a positive role model online Advocate positive online behaviour Peer influence is the effect an individual can have on their friends to change their attitudes values or behaviours. Positive peer influence is one of MOE’s Cyber Wellness principles. It encourages our students to: Be a positive role model online (e.g. share healthy and positive content, harness the affordances of technology to do good) Advocate positive online behaviour (e.g. stand up for their peers online, and report cases of cyber bullying to a trusted adult/authority) 

Why is Being a Positive Peer Influence Online Important? Being a positive peer influence online will help your child to: Exercise empathy Develop resilience and moral courage Why is being a positive peer influence important for our children? Being a positive peer influence online will help the children to: Exercise empathy and show care for others online Develop resilience and moral courage to stand up to negative peer pressure and unhealthy online influences

Why is Being a Positive Peer Influence Online Important? Being a positive peer influence online will help your child to: Learn responsibility for words and actions Leave positive digital footprints Being a positive peer influence online will also help the children to: Learn responsibility for their words and actions and to be aware that whatever they say or do online has an effect on others and has both online and offline consequences In addition, they will: Leave positive digital footprints and establish a good online reputation, which will reflect their character and the values they uphold. Today, it is not unusual for employers and scholarship boards to conduct online digital footprint checks. Note: A digital footprint is a trail of information an individual intentionally or unintentionally creates whilst using the Internet. It includes websites visited and emails/posts/comments or images/photos sent via online services. [adapted from Techterms.com] These information trails are relatively permanent and the owner has little control over how it will be used by others once it has been made public or shared.

MOE’s Cyber Wellness Education MOE’s Cyber Wellness education develops our children’s instinct to protect themselves and empowers them to take responsibility for their well-being in cyberspace. The focus of Cyber Wellness is about helping students to become responsible digital learners.

Cyber Wellness Key Messages ICT is an integral part of the learning environment Cyber Wellness Education anchored on three CW principles These principles will anchor a child’s well-being in cyberspace as they can make careful and well-considered decisions. With ICT as an integral part of the learning environment, MOE has put into place CW education anchored on 3 key principles to support a child’s well-being in cyberspace. The first principle: Respect for Self and Others reminds students to uphold their own dignity when online (e.g. share appropriate content and participate in only legal online activities). It guides students to respect other people online (e.g. put themselves in others’ shoes; accept diverse views and opinions, give credit when using other people’s work and seek permission where necessary, and to avoid sharing hurtful materials.) The second principle: Safe and Responsible Use teaches students to have an understanding of the risks of harmful and illegal online behaviour, and take steps to protect themselves, for example, to keep their personal information private and verify the reliability of information sources. This principle also guides students to maintain a healthy balance of online and offline activities. The third principle is Positive Peer Influence which is what we had covered in the earlier slides.

MOE’s Cyber Wellness Education MOE’s Cyber Wellness Education comprises the following components to reinforce the importance of Cyber Wellness and its messages. MOE’s Cyber Wellness Education comprises a) CW lessons in the formal curriculum and b) school-wide programmes (e.g. CW assembly talks, CW activities) to reinforce the importance of CW and its messages. Schools are required to carry out CW lessons via the Form Teacher Guidance Period (in Primary schools) and in the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons (in Secondary Schools and Pre-University). These CW lessons aim to equip students with life-long social-emotional competencies and sound values, so that they can become safe, respectful, and responsible users of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

School-wide Programmes Examples of School-wide Programmes << Schools are encouraged to share with parents their school-based CW programmes to create greater awareness of how their children are benefitting from the programmes. >> For e.g. Schools can share with parents their school’s cyber wellness student ambassador programme here (i.e. how their students have led in the promotion of cyber wellness messages and provided peer support for cyber issues.) Schools are guided by the CW framework to plan and implement CW programmes which are customised to the students’ profile and needs. For example, we conduct …< School to insert relevant activities such as CW Workshops, Assembly Talks, CW Activities, CW Day/Week>.

Parents as Partners We have provided you with an overview of MOE’s CW efforts so far and we hope you have a better understanding of CW education in the school. We will next cover how parents can partner the school in helping your child to be a positive peer influence online.

How Can Parents Help? Encourage your child to: Be S.U.R.E.* before sharing. Source Understand Research Evaluate Parents can help in developing their children to be a positive peer influence online by encouraging them to: Be S.U.R.E. before sharing. Check: Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate. S.U.R.E. is an information literacy model developed by the National Library Board. S is for Source: Check that your source’s origins are trustworthy, credible and reliable. U is for Understand: Be totally clear about what you read or hear. Make sure that these are based on reliable facts. R is for Research: Before making conclusions, investigate thoroughly by checking and comparing with other sources. E is for Evaluate: Exercise fair and balanced judgement. View it from different angles – there are at least two sides to every story. Encourage your child to share helpful and meaningful content. *The S.U.R.E. campaign is an initiative by the National Library Board to promote the importance of information searching and discernment. http://www.nlb.gov.sg/sure/sure-campaign/

How Can Parents Help? Encourage your child to: T.H.I.N.K. before posting. Ask: “Is it True? Helpful? Inspiring? Necessary? Kind?” T H I N K Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? Encourage the children to: T.H.I.N.K. before posting. Ask: “Is it True? Helpful? Inspiring? Necessary? Kind?” Encourage children to post encouraging or positive remarks online

How Can Parents Help? Encourage your child to: Be an upstander for friends who are cyber bullied C H E E R Calm them down Hear them out Empathise with them Encourage them to seek help Refer to a trusted adult Encourage them to be an upstander for friends who are cyber bullied on their social media chat groups or class blogs. For example, if your child witnesses a bullying incident, he or she can make a deliberate decision not to share hurtful / insulting posts and not to add on more hurtful comments. He or she can be an upstander by standing up to the bully in defence of the victim and by supporting the victim using the C.H.E.E.R. model. By doing so, children will develop moral courage and display empathy and compassion for others. Your child can encourage friends to seek help from teachers or the school counsellor or even confide in parents. Your child can also directly report to a teacher or to you, which you can then surface to the school for action.

How Can Parents Help? Encourage your child to: Use technology for good, such as: Helping seniors to use technology Supporting good causes Spreading positive messages online Use technology for good is based on the third principle of positive peer influence in the CW Framework, that is, to be a positive role model online. Children should be encouraged to use technology for good, such as helping seniors to use technology; or using technology to support and spread good causes. Parents can also engage children in conversations/activities that promote positive peer influence online. Parents can share examples of students leveraging technology to do good or spreading positive messages online. For example, sharing stories about acts of kindness.

Key Messages to Parents VALUE THE IMPORTANCE of BEING A positive peer influence online Encourage your child to be a positive peer influence online In summary, parents can develop in their children the ability to be a positive peer influence online by (i) valuing its importance, (ii) encouraging them to act positively online, (iii) role-modeling positive habits and (iv) guiding them to use technology for good. Model positive online habits Guide your child to use technology for good

Resources Ministry of Education Media Literacy Council Check out the Media-WISE SMART guide for Youths for tips on how your children can stay safe and kind online. medialiteracycouncil.sg/-/media/MLC/Resources/Pdf/Youth/Media-Wise.pdf ictconnection.moe.edu.sg/cyber-wellness/for-parents Ministry of Education Check out MOE’s Cyber Wellness Portal for up-to-date cyber wellness tips and resources for parents. nlb.gov.sg/sure/elearn-centre National Library Board Pick up some research skills and learn more about the S.U.R.E. method from NLB’s eLearn Centre. We believe that Cyber Wellness is an area that schools and parents must work together. To support you in this endeavour, there are several resources provided by MOE and other local agencies. We hope you find them useful.

Every Parent A Supportive Partner We are all here to build the next generation to be future-ready and responsible digital learners. Let us work hand-in-hand to develop our children to be a positive peer influence online. Thank you.