Communicating with our friends online can be lots of fun. How we communicate is often individualistic depending on the method of communication we are most comfortable with. Children can have different communication profiles based on their preferences, strengths, and challenges in how they express themselves and interact with others. Likewise, for children with communication challenges, the online world can be a fantastic tool to interact as much or as little as we like with other people. How inclusive!
There are many ways in which children communicate online. Whatever the preference is, it is important that children not only communicate appropriately but also respect their friends’ communication preferences – whether they are friends in real life or online!
What can be a little tricky is navigating appropriate online social cues – sometimes these cues can unintentionally upset another person online. Teaching kids healthy online social cues is essential for fostering positive interactions and ensuring safe online experiences. It gives children the right tools to navigate the digital world safely. Below are some important online social cues to keep in mind, this could be a good conversation starter with your child surrounding healthy online social cues:
Respectful Tone & Language: Keeping it clean
Encouraging the use of a friendly tone when interacting with others online. For example, using the words ‘sorry’ or ‘thank you’ if appropriate. One example can be online gaming whereby a child is interacting with their friends on a headset, naturally, things can sometimes get a little competitive. It’s important to explain and lead by example how we manage our feelings and tone towards others. Sometimes, it might be good to encourage a ‘break time’ after prolonged periods online.
Understanding Context: Think before we send
To help children recognise that tone can be hard to interpret online. Encourage them to consider how their message might be received before sending it. There are many ways in which we can introduce tone over text, sometimes this might be adding an emoji to a message to help express how we are feeling! However, emojis do not replace words entirely. For others, they might opt for a voice message if they feel the tone could be misinterpreted negatively!
Boundaries and Privacy: If we are unsure, just ask
Boundaries can look different for each child and what is their ‘norm’. For example, if someone doesn’t reply immediately, it might not be personal. Encourage patience and do not bombard someone with messages. This can be achieved by discussing the importance of respecting others’ privacy and if you are unsure about someone’s boundaries, you may want to ask them. Encourage them to ask for permission before sharing someone else’s content or personal information. Moreover, teaching children to implement their online boundaries too is just as important. Nobody should feel pressured to communicate online when they do not wish to.
Navigating Negative Behaviour: We reflect & we learn
By teaching children to recognise and avoid partaking in online bullying, exclusionary behaviour and gossiping online. This can be presented differently on various online social media applications and gaming apps. However, encouraging children to report inappropriate communication and learning how to respond is crucial in healthy online communication. Alternatively, if we upset someone unintentionally online to reflect and encourage them, they can say something like, “I’m sorry for what I said; I didn’t mean to upset you’. Help them reflect on the situation afterwards to understand how they can communicate better in the future and avoid similar misunderstandings.