1. Internet Awareness
June 4, 2013
Presentation to the Oakridge PTA by Julie
Esanu, Librarian, and Anne Terwilliger,
Counselor
2. Agenda
• What is Internet Awareness?
• Parental Awareness
• Developmental Stage of Children and the Internet
• Social Media
• Next Steps: Parents
• Resources
3. Internet Awareness
Internet Awareness = Being
informed and having the
knowledge to use information
resources and tools responsibly
and ethically in a variety of
digital settings.
4. Parental Awareness
• What is the minimum age to create a
Google email or Facebook account?
• Does your child have a cell phone or
smartphone?
• Has your child ever posted a picture of
themselves or friend online?
5. Brain Development
• Prefrontal Cortex – section of the brain
that weighs outcomes, forms judgments
and controls impulses and emotions
•Not completely developed until mid-20s
• Nucleus Accumbens – area of the brain
that seeks pleasure and reward
•Fairly well developed in teens
6. Social/Emotional
Development
•Relationship with peers increasingly
important
•Parents no longer complete
authority (handle social situations
without adult advice)
•Begin to “flex” their independence
Sources: Berk, L.E. (2009) Child development (8th ed). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon; Santrock, J.W. (2008). A topical approach to life span development (4th ed). New
York: McGraw-Hill; Thompson, C.L., Rudolph, L.B., & Henderson, D. (2004). Counseling children (6th ed). California: Brooks/Cole
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/teenage-brain1.htm.
7. Use of Social Media
Source: Teens, Social Media and Privacy (Pew Internet & American Life Project, May 2013)
9. Next Steps: Parents
• Realize that media plays a huge role in children’s
lives today
• Talk openly with your children about their use of
media, including the Internet
• Model positive online behaviors
• Help your children set their privacy settings and
remind them not to share their private information
• Remind your child that his or her digital footprint
lasts a long time
• Keep a list of your child’s user names and
passwords
• Supervise your child’s use of technology
10. Resources
• Common Sense Media Family Tip Sheets:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/educa
• Just for You Parents—What You Need to Know:
http://www.onguardonline.gov/features/feature-0002-fe
• Netsmartz Parent Resources:
http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents
• Parents’ Guide to Social Networking Sites:
http://www.ncpc.org/topics/internet-safety/social-netw
