Social Media Presentation
We were lucky to have Cst. Marcus Dyck at the school on Thursday last week. He put on a presentation about social media for our intermediate students. Social Media can be a great tool for everyone but it has many dangers as well.
Age Limits for Games
All games have a rated category. These categories are developed to meet the developmental age of students and adults. These categories are put into place so that people can understand the fantasy/unrealistic part of the game. We notice at school that sometimes students are acting out video games at school which can cause some challenges with violence and compliance. When discussing behaviour with students, they sometimes refer to video games that they have been playing and try to “justify” their behaviour accordingly.
Some of the categories and examples that we looked at were:
E (everyone) – Mario Kart, Tetris, Zelda, Rocket League
E 10+ (Everyone 10+) – Minecraft, Roblox, NHL 2020, Among Us
T (Teen) – FortNite, Overwatch, Player Unknown, Battle Ground
M (Mature) – Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, Doom, Breakdown
A (Adult) – Call of Duty, Halo, Medal of Honor, Mortal Combat
Online Safety
Some of the content that Cst. Marcus Dyck was able to cover included:
- Do NOT have friends online that you don’t know in person
- Do NOT give out personal information
- Do NOT share passwords except with your parents (Parents should have passwords to all technology, games, and social media)
- Do NOT meet a stranger in person who you met online
- Save all messages that are threatening/harassing
Social Media
Social Media is created for people that are thirteen years of age or older. We know that many of our students have social media, so we need to teach them to use it appropriately. Students were reminded that anything that they put on social media CANNOT be deleted, even if it is SNAP Chat and the message is supposed to delete. Often, if social media is not used appropriately it can cause social challenges in “real life” as well. People can be very “brave” behind a screen and may say things that they wouldn’t say “in person”. This causes challenges where the principal of the school could possibly become involved if it is causing challenges at school. If people are using social media correctly, they can follow the acronym:
T = Is it TRUE?
H = Is it HELPFUL?
I = Is it INSPIRING?
N = Is it NECESSARY?
K = Is it KIND?
If we are following these guidelines, everyone can use social media safely!
