Workshops for Children and Parents – Safe and Responsible Surfing Online
Workshops for Children and Parents – Surf the Internet Safely and Responsibly
Think before You Click is a unique collaboration between parents and local police teaching kindergarten-aged children and their parents about internet safety. Between May and October 2017 over 300 parents and 100 children participated in workshops held at kindergartens in Pula, Rovinj, Buzet and Pazin, cities in the region of Istria in Croatia. The workshops were led by Jasena Knez Radolović from Roda – Parents in Action and Vesna Lončar Brnadić from the Prevention Department at the Istrian Police Authority. Workshops also included kindergarten teachers who completed trainings during the project period.
In 2018, we plan to hold workshops in Opatija, Umag, Novigrad, Pula and on the island of Cres, including another 300+ children and their parents.
Children's workshops
Children's workshops were held during a regular kindergarten lesson with pre-school aged children. During the workshops they discussed their experiences with electronic devices, habits when using devices to play games or watch online content, as well as about the internet and how they understand it (what is the internet, can they meet people online etc.).
With the help of flashcards and an interactive storybook (developed in the first project), workshop leaders and children discussed the following topics:
- What is the internet
- Sharing content with mom, dad or other adults
- What can we see online, and of the things we can see, what is real
- Can we use an assumed identity online
- What are personal data and can we share them online
- Online etiquette
Through discussions and examples children learned basic information on safe and responsible internet use appropriate for the level that they use the internet.
Lectures for Parents
At the same kindergartens where children's workshops were held, lectures were also organised for parents to introduce them to the project, describe the findings from the children's workshops about children's digital content habits with recommendations on how to discuss topics like using electronic devices and digital content.
Other topics included:
- What digital literacy terms can we use in our everyday interactions with kindergarten-aged children
- What real dangers do kindergarten-aged children face online
- How can we help children discover digital content safety; how long and how often
- Responsible parenting in the digital age
During 2017-8, 50 early childhood education professionals were trained to hold workshops on safe and responsible use of digital devices and content in their home institutions.