"When I give too many details about me, I also show my weaknesses." We learn online safety through dialogues with our young beneficiaries
In 2019, over 62% of the requests from the visitors of the siguronline.md platform came from children and adolescents. Most of the time, they ask for general advice on how to stay safe while browsing the internet.
For the SigurOnline specialists, the assistance of children and adolescents is not limited just to online counseling. In the first two months of this year alone, the SigurOnline psychologist informed 296 students (from 7 educational institutions) from different towns and villages in the country.
What does online safety mean? It means not pretending to be someone else on the internet and not saying too much about myself (Cătălina, 16 years old). It means browsing the internet without anyone stealing my identity (Alex, 15). Online safety is about monitoring all the actions you take on the internet. This is how 14-16-year-olds answered the psychologist's question about their actions in the virtual environment.
Victoria GRIBINEȚ, La Strada Moldova psychologist: "Offline information activities are a practice that we maintain all year round. Especially in February, when we have even more requests from teachers in the context of the Safer Internet Day Campaign. Today, for example, we were invited to do lessons with children in the 8th grade, where we discussed general rules about their safety in the online environment. I admit it is a real pleasure to work with these children. They are very bright and, what makes me happy I that they are well informed".
During lessons like this, the primary mission of the La Strada Moldova psychologist is to reconfirm to adolescents that risk prevention is much easier than solving problems that may arise from carelessness or ignorance. "But once faced with a problem they can't deal with, teenagers tend to confess to classmates and friends. That is why another equally important mission is to establish a relationship of trust with them. So that when their friend is in a tough situation, they can remember and recommend to that friend to ask for help on the siguronline.md platform", Victoria GRIBINEȚ also said.
When I show them every day what my family and I do, it's too much. There's too much of my presence in their lives. This is abuse. (Laura, 8th grade);
When I give my followers too many details about me, I also show my weaknesses. That's how they would get ideas about where to hit me easiest… (Patricia, 8th grade);
Public figures need to do well online. They create a particular image and use it for PR purposes. (Sofia, 8th grade).
Maintaining constant contact with children helps the specialists of La Strada Moldova constantly adjust their assistance and support techniques for children, but also the information and teaching resources they develop for teachers and school psychologists across the country in terms of promoting online safety and preventing child abuse and exploitation in the online environment.
