Digital etiquette and responsible social interactions

The internet is a great place to communicate with other people from all over the world or in different countries. Places like email, instant messaging and various social media sites allow people to share life moments, pictures of their day, funny videos that made them smile or just to catch up with an old friend that they haven't seen in awhile. Unfortunately, not everyone uses this technology for social interaction in a positive manner. Some people use these opportunities to bully other people through mean messages, fake pages, rude posts, and many other forms of harassment. Cyber bullying doesn't happen to any specific age group; in fact, it happens to people of all ages and it could happen at any time. However, you can prevent bullying through the internet by following a few simple tips.

1. Never post something mean about someone else even if you are joking around because other people may not see it as a joke. 
2. Do not put things online that you do not want others to see because once you have uploaded something to the internet it is there permanently. 
3. When you see someone getting bullied online stand up for them by defending them and tell someone. Most social media websites have a "report abuse" button that you can use to combat bullying. 
4. Never post something out of anger because it is often the time when you say the things that you don't mean the most.
5. Remember that the other person is more than just a screen and that your actions can hurt just as bad as if you were to say those things to someone in person.

Students need to know that these 5 things are important to keep in mind. They need to be taught the rules of how to communicate with others from behind a screen. Children need to understand that communicating with the use of technology is no different than communicating face to face with someone. Teachers should be teaching self-acceptance along with these guidelines because students need to know that they are worth something. Most of the time bullying occurs because one is insecure about themselves or their life situation and they feel the need to bring others down with them. If all children are taught how to accept themselves and those around them we might be able to lower the amount of children who would rather take their life than hate themselves.

Here is a website with information for everyone on how the topic of digital etiquette and responsible social interactions. Cyberbullying