Media Literacy 7 days: Protecting and empowering pupils in the electronic age

Visitor web site by Patricia Kosseim, Information and facts and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario  

Young individuals these days appreciate likely on line. No matter whether it’s for instructional needs, social networking or gaming — there is often some thing new and remarkable to see and do. With each simply click, they check out new horizons but also, inadvertently, navigate through a sea of potential electronic threats.  

The on the internet globe is fraught with fake written content that seems to be true, building confusion between what is accurate and what is wrong. Cybercriminals and cyberbullies use the internet in approaches that can significantly hurt others, and advertisers endeavor by all implies to bring in awareness and nudge getting conduct. 

Canada’s annual Media Literacy Week highlights how essential it is that we all know how to use and engage with electronic media. It is a excellent time to teach young ones about how to stay safe online so they are better outfitted to confront some of these difficulties. 

As dad and mom, educators, and regulators, we share a accountability to assure that young people’s privateness rights are guarded and that we empower them to assert their legal rights with knowledge and self-confidence.  

This subject matter was leading of head for me and my federal, provincial, and territorial colleagues at our modern annual assembly, in which we issued a joint resolution calling on our respective governments to improve privateness legislation to defend youth and calling on corporations to undertake practices that safeguard the ideal interests of younger people today. 

At my place of work, we’ve created Small children and Youth in a Electronic Planet just one of our strategic priorities. We figure out that educators and administrators have an important function in getting ready and empowering younger people to be safe and sound and dependable digital citizens. So, we have been hard at perform to start a range of new initiatives aimed at supporting universities safeguard and assist student’s privacy legal rights.  

Just in time for back to faculty, we launched four new Privacy Pursuit! lesson programs, in collaboration with MediaSmarts, to assistance educators train learners in grades two via eight about how to protect their privateness online and respect the privacy legal rights of other individuals. 

Just about every lesson system is built to be made use of with the IPC’s Privateness Pursuit! Online games and Actions for Young children activity booklet, filled with fun routines for finding out about privacy that parents can do with their young ones at residence.  

Most not too long ago, we introduced a new draft Electronic Privateness Charter for Ontario Educational institutions. It consists of twelve substantial-stage commitments that codify most effective procedures, numerous of which are grounded in statutory prerequisites beneath the Municipal Independence of Data and Security of Privacy Act. 

These commitments are intended to support students by: 

• advertising and marketing solid privacy protections in digital education resources and providers applied by schools 

• encouraging ongoing mastering about privacy in the electronic environment  

• empowering pupils to understand and training their privateness and access rights 

The individual information and facts of kids and youth is significantly delicate. Supplied the possible for hurt that can abide by a youthful person into adulthood, this facts is worthy of a bigger diploma of care and security in a way that supports accountability and transparency, constructing have confidence in in Ontario’s educational facilities. 

So, let us operate jointly! Moms and dads and guardians, have a chat with your kids’ instructors and principals about on the net protection and the charter. Educators, use the charter to assistance manual your on the web school things to do and chat about it with your coworkers and learners to assistance increase awareness of the worth of electronic literacy. College officials, chat to your boards about adopting the charter and generating the determination to promote privateness defense, encourage digital literacy and empower our younger people today!  

As component of this first start stage, we’re contacting on faculty officials, moms and dads, and learners to supply suggestions on the draft charter by finishing our study or emailing us at [email protected]. 

Youngsters keep the guarantee to a much better foreseeable future. Let us assist them pave the way.