The interactions children experience and the content they’re exposed to online can play a major role in shaping their ideas and views about certain groups of people, and ultimately impact the way they treat others.
I’ve been working with Internet Matters and Samsung Electronics UK on The Online Together Project – a new interactive tool to help children and young people develop their critical thinking skills in order to foster a positive and inclusive digital experience for all. The first phase of the project focuses on helping children and young people challenge gender stereotypes they come across online.
Recent figures in the Cybersurvey from Youthworks in partnership with Internet Matters show that over one in 10 children aged 11+ have received sexist comments online, increasing to one in five for those children who prefer not to state their gender.
With an increase in gender-related harmful content and online abuse, it can be challenging for children and young people to establish autonomous, unbiased opinions and attitudes about genders, differences, and equality.
From online gaming to social media, children and young people encounter gender stereotypes in various ways. One of the problems in recent years has been the way that young girls are objectified online. Boys on the other hand, tend to be hyper-masculinised.
Children can be easily pressured to interact with others in preconceived ways, based on the norms bred by internet culture. Young people seek out what it means to be: good or bad, beautiful or not beautiful, smart or stupid. Children are likely to feel they either need to adhere to these stereotypes, or question those that don't.
If children and young people feel they need to confine themselves to a particular stereotype they see online based on very narrow ideals, this is going to affect not only their body image but their confidence and overall self-esteem.
The more critically children are able to assess, accept and value the images they are presented with the less likely they will be to feel pressure to adhere to them and the more accepting and kinder they will be to others.
Speaking to young people about the importance of listening to others without bias, being welcoming to fresh ideas, and open to what they stumble across online is key to helping them be tolerant to new views and ideas.
As a parent carer, or a trusted adult working with young people, you are able to model empathy and understanding, which will help children recognise gender stereotypes and respect differences and uniqueness online.
Encourage your kids to try out the tool to learn more about gender stereotypes here.
For more information on how to keep your child safe online visit Internetmatters.org
5 Top Tips to support children and young people deal with stereotypes
- Be open and transparent in your conversations about the issue
Do your own research so that you can best support a child in an open and transparent conversation and make sure they feel able to speak about what they experience online.
- Discuss the impact of gender stereotypes online
Open and transparent discussion to counter stereotypes about what it means to fit the ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ box and promote positive body image is crucial.
- Explain how to be an upstander and when it is safe to do so
Children and young people can help stop harmful behaviour like bullying or harassment when it is safe to do so by calling out the person on their harmful actions and blocking them, supporting the victim, leaving the online situation or asking for help from a trusted adult or mentor.
- Encourage them to respect differences and celebrate uniqueness online
You can teach digital resilience and provide strategies for showing respect online to everyone, including others who are different or unique.
- Continue the conversation and your support
Once you have begun to have conversations with children and young people, do your best to keep these conversations going and provide opportunities for them to discuss any questions or concerns that they have..
Dr Linda Papadopoulos is a psychologist and Internet Matters ambassador
