Did you know...?
- Regulations regarding the use of images
- Who should be able to see what?
- Tips for better Internet safety
- Password security
- What to do if your Facebook profile has been hacked
- How to deal with fake Facebook profiles
- Farewell to anonymity
- The viral fox
- Parents worry
- "I am fed up with harassment in the comment fields!"
- Facebook hacking and threats
- Young people are not participating in online debate
- Click yourself sick
- Threat video was a joke
- Explosion in blackmail
- Different people may have different views on how much they wish to share online. - Where do you set the limits for what is OK to publish? - How does this differ between pupils in the class?
- You can often remain anonymous in online discussions. - What do you think about this? - Can you think of situations where you should not be allowed to be anonymous on the Internet? Why/why not?
- Online newspapers and forums often have rules for how debates should be carried out on their websites. - Find some examples of such rules and compare them in class. - Work together in the class to prepare a set of rules of this type that you think should apply. - Discuss who you think is responsible for ensuring that a website keeps a good tone. Is it the editor of the website or the user who posts content? - Can you find any examples of online debates where you think the participants have stepped over the line of what is OK?
- Modern technology makes it easy for anyone to publish content on the Internet. Some people think that children should not be allowed to blog. - Can you think of a reason why a child or young person under a certain age should not be allowed to blog? - Should or should there not be an age limit on blogging? - If so, what should this age limit be? - Make a list of social media used in the class.
- Offensive comments are posted on many of the popular online sites. Some people seem to think that you have to tolerate negative comments if you post things about yourself online. - Do you agree? Why/why not? - What should be the limit for what a blogger should tolerate?
- A school needs permission from the parents to take pictures of its pupils. The school also needs to inform the parents what the pictures are going to be used for so they know what they are saying yes to. - Does your school take pictures of the pupils? - How are these pictures used (on the school's website, address books, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, other)? - Did the school have written permission from the parents for this (and the pupils if they are over 15)? - Does the school ask the pupils in a picture for their permission before the picture is posted online? - Find out what rules apply to this and tell your school management if they are not following the rules.
- Freedom of speech is a term people often use to justify what they publish online. - What is freedom of speech? - Why is freedom of speech so important and what does it mean when we say that freedom of speech is a fundamental right in a democratic society? - Are there any rules for what you can and can't write online? - Are the limits and rules for what you can and can't say online different from those that apply to what you say face to face?
- Many people - children, young people and adults alike - write and read blogs. - Make a list of the pros and cons of blogging. How can blogging be positive or negative to the reader? How can blogging be positive or negative to the blogger? - Can you really know if bloggers are who they say they are? - Is it OK to pretend to be someone you are not? - How can you be sure that the information in a blog is true?
- You have editorial responsibility for what you publish online. - Have you ever regretted something you posted online about yourself or someone else? - Why did you regret posting it? - Have you ever participated in online discussions anonymously? - Did you behave the same way as you would have done if other people knew your identity, or did you push the limits? - What did it feel like to be anonymous? - Have you changed the privacy settings on your profile? Why/why not?
Under the Constitution, everyone has the right to freedom of speech and public information. Freedom of speech is an important part of a community founded on the rule of law and fundamental in any democratic society.
The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.
But freedom of speech does not mean that everything is allowed. There are restrictions that are necessary, for example:
a) for the respect of the rights and reputation or of others; and
b) for the protection of national security or public order or of public health or morals.
Technological advances have made it possible to share thoughts, views, pictures, videos and other things online. The information you share can spread faster than you might expect. This could be a good thing if you have a message you want a lot of people to see, but it can also be a bad thing if the content is spread faster than you expected or is used in a different context to the one you had intended.