As a parent, you play a vital role in helping your child develop digital intelligence, which encompasses the social, emotional, and practical skills needed to navigate the digital world successfully. To start the conversation about kindness, ask your child how they would like to be treated by others face-to-face and online. Have they witnessed someone being mean either online or in person? Discuss the values they should remember when they are online, such as compassion, empathy, and doing the right thing.

Take the time to talk about what constitutes mean behaviour. This could include saying hurtful things, sending hurtful messages, deliberately excluding someone, spreading lies, or being unkind while playing games.

To help your child recognise if they are being mean, ask them how they would know if they are hurting someone's feelings. They may mention outcomes such as the other person being upset, telling a teacher, crying, or refusing to play with them anymore. It's important to help them understand the concept of getting personal, which involves making comments about someone's appearance, speech, race, disability, or family background. Explain why this is never acceptable.

 Here are some ways you can support your child:

• Sit with them and review their online conversations, as well as their interactions with friends and family face-to-face. Discuss what they are saying and help them understand the impact of their words.
• Encourage and praise their kind behaviour at home and beyond.
• Talk about accepting differences in others and discuss strategies for dealing with people who annoy them. Openly coach them through specific situations.
• Guide your child to imagine being in someone else's shoes, promoting empathy and understanding diverse perspectives.
• Explain that there are consequences for mean online behaviour, even if it occurs outside of school hours. Emphasise that schools may intervene and address such behaviour if it is towards a school peer.

By having these conversations and providing guidance, you can empower your child to navigate the digital world with kindness and respect.

Resources to use with your child

1. esafety kids Someone is being mean to me online
2. esafety kids  How do I know if I have been mean to others online?