Era of Digital Citizenship and Needs of Today’s Youth

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We live in modern times of exceptional digital advancements and innovation. Technology is shifting and growing rapidly across the world. Today’s youth are digital natives who are oblivious of a life without internet access.

Despite the fact that this generation can operate the digital world with ease, it is fatuous to assume young people fully understand how to hold technology for best feasible outcomes. A recent study shows that most young people use the internet to view media outlets and to interact with friends. Most of the teenagers have not been exposed to the accessories they need to boost their professions, such as content writing, web designing or video animation production. Also, online security, dangers associated with the cyber world and possible digital footprint outcomes are discussions yet to be had.

As a community, it is our duty to assure that young people are fully aware as well as informed about digital citizenship. Education organizations, parents, community programs and youth organizations must make digital citizenship a priority to ensure our young leaders are on solid ground for a positive future. The call for developing digital citizenship must no longer remain in question; it is an important priority for youth and the nation.

Digital Citizenship is defined as the standards of proper, responsible technology use; it can be split down into eight significant areas: Etiquette, Communication, Literacy, Commerce, Law, Access, Security, Rights and Responsibilities. Digital Citizenship is more than just a curriculum to be taught in a classroom; it is an ongoing process that needs to be adopted to prepare youth for a society engaged in technology.

Mobile devices have become the main drivers for interaction among teenagers. About 90% of urban teens go online from mobile devices at least occasionally. Among these teenagers, 85% go online daily or more often. By comparison, teens who don’t access the Internet via mobile devices tend to go online less frequently.

As a result of these statistics, parents and education institutions are becoming more aware of the concept of digital citizenship. However, technological changes are occurring so rapidly, it can be challenging to keep up.

Today, most of the parents say they’ve reviewed their teenagers’ profiles on social networking sites. However, a preponderance of teens has quickly discovered how to veil and confuse their parents online by changing content, using secret coded messages that only their friends can read.

In the education system, digital citizenship is scattered across the board, with no demand for a standard curriculum by the government. In some educational institutions, technology has been embraced, and students have access to iPads and the use of internet for analysis and projects. Some schools combine cutting-edge technology applications that raise online knowledge about digital opportunities as well as educating students about the real risks.

On the other side, there are concerned instructors who believe that the digitalization of classrooms is severely affecting their teaching. At the higher education level, some professors ban laptops from their lecture courses, while many schools still maintain no technological devices, support or policies. Also, analysis has shown that teachers who are 50 or older are not confident about technology and feel bewildered by its mere existence.

Students not only need to be qualified in how to use digital technology; they need to learn about different digital dimensions that will boost their chances for employment. Some samples include coding, animation, web design, blogging, cyber security and closing down information. Youth today must know the digital world from a holistic picture to truly learn how the digital world works, and their roles as part of this platform.

As a result of the accelerated developments in technology, all of us as a society must be committed to performing an advanced role to meet the needs of today’s youth.