Digital Resilience
By Laura Muir, MSSS Social Counselor
Digital resilience is part of the personality that develops from spending time online and facing the challenges out there. You recognize when you are at risk online and know what to do about it.
A resilient child is more likely to stay safe if anything bad happens and benefits from the opportunities that the online world provides.
What Do We Do?
Everyone has a part to play in building a child’s resilience. Having safe spaces to explore and take age-appropriate risks is vital. At school, we teach critical thinking skills so that children can make sensible judgements about what they are doing and seeing, while also working on soft skills such as empathy and self-esteem.
What Can You Do?
Parents can set boundaries so children know what they can do and what they can’t - and then let them explore. They will make mistakes, but to learn they need to take risks. When they get into scrapes, its essential that you let them learn from that and help them recover. Then, let them try again.
Parents can encourage balance. Ask yourself, are they?
Physically healthy
Sleeping enough
Connecting socially with family and friends (in any form)
Engaged and achieving
Pursuing interests and hobbies
Having fun and learning in their use of digital media