What Is Digital Responsibility?

By Shontae Hamilton

Teaching digital citizenship, or digital responsibility, involves helping students think beyond themselves in order to understand their responsibilities to others and how they can improve their communities. We teach children how to be good citizens of the United States by exploring topics like voting and community service and how to be good global citizens by exploring topics like multiculturalism and diversity. We also need to teach them how to be good digital citizens by interacting with social media and technology in a way that helps rather than harms.

It is also important for us to educate parents about digital citizenship. At Alice Contreras Elementary, administrators Kimberly Benavides & Brenda Fouse see the importance of this, as well. They hosted Coffee with the Principal to share digital citizenship strategies and tips to encourage their children to practice good digital citizenship at home. Mrs. Benavides explained that “students are digital natives and must be engaged, but with technology comes the responsibility of making sure students are being safe. This is why our teachers are trained in digital citizenship to ensure those safe practices.”

For more information on educating parents on digital citizenship, please visit: Common Sense Media for Parents.