How Do You Teach Kids About Texting ? Bring In The Teenagers
Techlife News|June 15, 2019

How do you teach tech-savvy kids to safely navigate the digital world? In Germany, you bring in the teenagers.

How Do You Teach Kids About Texting ? Bring In The Teenagers
On a recent day, 18-year-old Chantal Hueben stood in front of a group of fifth-graders and asked them to brainstorm about the messaging program Whatsapp, which most are using to participate in a group chat for their class. They spoke about themes like cyberbullying and what material is OK to post.

“Many are not really aware yet of the impact their messages can have on others,” says Hueben, dressed all in black except for white sneakers. “We’re teaching them not to post anything private on the class chat, not to send photos of others and not to insult anybody.”

The session at the Gesamtschule Borbeck high school, in the western German city of Essen, is part of a large-scale program in which teenagers teach their younger schoolmates how to stay safe and sane online.

As they grow older, they also participate in workshops about media copyright issues or sexting, and, at the end of eighth grade, they take a test to get a laminated “mobile license” that allows them to use their smartphones at certain times at school.

The exam includes 10 multiple choice questions. One asks what to do when somebody sends an embarrassing Snapchat photo of a fellow student. The answer, of course, is to not forward the picture to others.

Over two-thirds of kids in Germany have smartphones by the age of 11 and, like children around the world, many are stressed by the huge number of messages they receive and don’t know how to handle inappropriate and hurtful posts. With many parents and teachers lacking in digital skills and unable to relate to what it means to grow up with a smartphone, German authorities decided peer education was the best approach.

At Borbeck, which has about 1,000 students and is considered one of the most advanced schools in Germany when it comes to teaching digital skills, there are 32 students teaching in the “Medienscouts,” or media scouts, program.

Esta historia es de la edición June 15, 2019 de Techlife News.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición June 15, 2019 de Techlife News.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE TECHLIFE NEWSVer todo
Instagram Makes Teen Accounts Private as Pressure Mounts on the App to Protect Children- Instagram is making teen accounts private by default as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people's lives.
Techlife News

Instagram Makes Teen Accounts Private as Pressure Mounts on the App to Protect Children- Instagram is making teen accounts private by default as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people's lives.

Instagram is making teen accounts private by default as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people's lives. The teen accounts will be private by default. Private messages are restricted so teens can only receive them from people they follow or are already connected to. Sensitive content, such as videos of people fighting or those promoting cosmetic procedures, will be limited, Meta said. Teens will also get notifications if they are on Instagram for more than 60 minutes and a sleep mode will be enabled that turns off notifications and sends auto-replies to direct messages from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
Not-so-Great Expectations: Students Are Reading Fewer Books in English Class - Chris Stanislawski didn't read much in his middle school English classes, but it never felt necessary.
Techlife News

Not-so-Great Expectations: Students Are Reading Fewer Books in English Class - Chris Stanislawski didn't read much in his middle school English classes, but it never felt necessary.

Chris Stanislawski didn't read much in his middle school English classes, but it never felt necessary. Students were given detailed chapter summaries for every novel they discussed, and teachers played audio of the books during class.

time-read
5 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
US Companies See Record-Low Profits in China Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Slow Growth, Report Says - American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy
Techlife News

US Companies See Record-Low Profits in China Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Slow Growth, Report Says - American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy

American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy, according to a report published Thursday by a U.S. business group.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 14, 2024
GOOGLE WINS LEGAL BID TO OVERTURN 1.5 BILLION EURO ANTITRUST FINE IN EU DIGITAL AD CASE
Techlife News

GOOGLE WINS LEGAL BID TO OVERTURN 1.5 BILLION EURO ANTITRUST FINE IN EU DIGITAL AD CASE

Google won a court challenge this week against a 1.49 billion euro ($1.66 billion) European Union antitrust fine imposed five years ago that targeted its online advertising business.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
CONGRESS TARGETS CHINESE INFLUENCE IN HEALTH TECH. IT COULD COME WITH TRADEOFFS
Techlife News

CONGRESS TARGETS CHINESE INFLUENCE IN HEALTH TECH. IT COULD COME WITH TRADEOFFS

A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China, underscoring the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing's global influence.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
FACEBOOK OWNER META BANS RUSSIA STATE MEDIA OUTLETS OVER 'FOREIGN INTERFERENCE'
Techlife News

FACEBOOK OWNER META BANS RUSSIA STATE MEDIA OUTLETS OVER 'FOREIGN INTERFERENCE'

Meta said it's banning Russia state media organization from its social media platforms, alleging that the outlets used deceptive tactics to amplify Moscow's propaganda. The announcement drew a rebuke from the Kremlin.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
TECH BILLIONAIRE RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK
Techlife News

TECH BILLIONAIRE RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK

A billionaire spacewalker returned to Earth with his crew on Sunday (15), ending a five-day trip that lifted them higher than anyone has traveled since NASA's moonwalkers.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
UNITED AIRLINES WILL OFFER FREE INTERNET ON FLIGHTS USING SERVICE FROM ELON MUSK'S SPACEX
Techlife News

UNITED AIRLINES WILL OFFER FREE INTERNET ON FLIGHTS USING SERVICE FROM ELON MUSK'S SPACEX

United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
GOOGLE'S MILLISECOND AD AUCTIONS ARE THE FOCUS OF A MONOPOLY CLAIM
Techlife News

GOOGLE'S MILLISECOND AD AUCTIONS ARE THE FOCUS OF A MONOPOLY CLAIM

It happens in milliseconds, ideally, as you browse the web. Networks of computers and software analyze who you are, what you are looking at and buy and sell the advertisements you see on web pages.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 21, 2024
LONGSHOREMEN AT KEY US PORTS THREATENING TO STRIKE OVER AUTOMATION AND PAY
Techlife News

LONGSHOREMEN AT KEY US PORTS THREATENING TO STRIKE OVER AUTOMATION AND PAY

Determined to thwart the automating of their jobs, about 45,000 dockworkers along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts are threatening to strike on Oct. 1, a move that would shut down ports that handle about half the nation's cargo from ships.

time-read
5 minutos  |
September 21, 2024