As social media becomes more integrated into everyday life, so too, the responsibility of being a good digital citizen increases when we log on and connect with real people.
Did you know there are three tools on Facebook that can actually help save a life? A big thumbs up to Facebook developers who have wisely integrated the Anti-Bullying Initiative, the Suicide Referral System, and the Organ Donation Status—three quick clicks that can have a lasting impact.
Take a few minutes to connect with each of these Facebook features then take the time to discuss them with your family.
What To Do and Where to Click:
Anti-Bullying Initiative: Cyber bullying is growing at an alarming rate with heartbreaking headlines emerging every day. While the responsibility of snuffing out this growing problem is shared between parents, school administrators, and law enforcement—a larger portion of that onus falls on parents tasked with consistently equipping their children to deal effectively in this new frontier. To learn more about how to identify and report bullying online, go to the Facebook Help Center. Go to Help under your Facebook profile and click Report an Issue and then click Tools for Parents and Educators. There you will find a list of options on how to report an abuse. There’s also some great help about safety in general at Facebook’s Family Safety Center—it’s excellent.
Suicide Referral System: Trust your instincts when reading a post that just doesn’t sound right. If a friend posts a comment related to or implying suicide, you can report it from your home page to Facebook by clicking the “v” pull-down next to the comment. This gives you the option to file a suicidal/self harm report; just following the promptings. Facebook works with suicide prevention agencies around the world to provide assistance for people in distress.
Organ Donation: A game changer in the organ donation community, this relatively new feature on Facebook is already making a big difference. To be an organ donor via Facebook, go to your timeline and choose Life Event in your status update box, choose the option Health and Wellness and then choose Organ Donor. Signing up takes seconds. Your organ donor status will then appear in the “About” section of your profile.
We don’t think you can have the safety conversation too often. It’s just impossible. Talking to your kids consistently and candidly about cyber bullying, suicide and other real-life issues online, will ensure their safety and build their confidence as wise digital citizens.