Mental Health Matters

Months

African American History Month

Career & Technological Education Month

International Boost Self-Esteem Month

National Children's Dental Health Month

Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month

Weeks

National School Counseling Week 6-10

Random Acts of Kindness Week 14-20

National Eating Disorder Week 23-1

Days

National Freedom Day 1

International Safer Internet Day 14

World Thinking Day 22

Keep your kids safe with this internet safety contract

We’ve put together a free online safety contract that you can print out and share with your kids. Use it to help build a conversation around online safety and your expectations.

Top online threats for kids

There are a number of potential dangers in cyberspace, but these are the top online security risks that most kids face.

1. Cyberbullying: More than 36% of kids age 12–17 have been cyberbullied at some point in their life, and nearly 15% have bullied someone else online. Cyberbullying is any aggressive, threatening, or mean-spirited activity conducted via electronic communication (email, social media posts, text messages, etc.). Girls are more likely to be the victims of cyberbullying, and more boys admit to bullying others online.¹

2. Online predators: Adults who use the internet to entice children for sexual or other types of abusive exploitation are considered online predators. Child victims can be as young as 1 or as old as 17. When it comes to online enticement, girls make up the majority (78%) of child victims—while the majority (82%) of online predators are male. And 98% of online predators have never met their child targets in real life.²

3. Exposure to inappropriate content: Inappropriate content is one of the most common online threats that kids encounter. Everything from vulgar language and hate speech to graphically violent or sexual images can have a harmful effect on an impressionable child. Over 55% of tweens (kids age 10–12) have been exposed to violent content on the internet, and nearly 60% have come across sexually explicit words or images.³

NOTE: For the purposes of this guide, we’re focusing on the earliest prevention possible. While these internet safety tips for kids and parents can be applicable to anyone, we’ve selected steps to help protect children from ages 5 through 12.

Tips for safe online learning

Just because your child goes online for school, it doesn’t mean there still aren’t potential dangers lurking. These best practices will minimize your child’s exposure to online risks no matter what platform or software their school is using.

1. Make sure websites are secure

You can instantly tell if any website is safe by looking for one letter: “s.” Every website address starts with the letters “http,” but you know a site is secure when you see “https.” That means the website itself is taking measures to keep users and their information secure while they use the site.

If you’re directed to any websites for school or entertainment that don’t have that extra “s” at the beginning of the address, steer clear.

2. Guard personal information

This can get tricky when your child needs to be identified for schoolwork or classroom discussions, but personal details need to be guarded closely.

Chances are, your child probably already has a student identification number. Those kinds of identifiers are a great way to protect personal details from leaking on the internet.

None of the following information should be used to identify your child in class, on a list of posted grades, or in an online discussion.

• Full first and last name
• Social security number
• Birthdate
• Address
• Phone number
• Photograph

Your little one should also have a secure username and password to log into courses, lectures, and assignments.

3. Set up parental controls

You don’t have to purchase parental control software to protect your child during online learning. There are already a lot of helpful tools built into your device hardware, software, and internet browser.

Find tutorials here to help you maximize built-in privacy settings and content blockers.

• Parental controls for Apple products
• Parental controls for Google Play
• Parental controls guide for Chromebook
• Content restrictions for Windows 10 and Xbox One
• Parental controls for YouTube Kids
• Content filters on SafeSearch for Google
• Parental controls on Amazon FreeTime
• Parental controls on Netflix

If you want the extra reassurance of parental control software, we tested a bunch of them and picked our favorites. Almost every brand we recommend has a free version available, so you can probably upgrade from built-in parental controls without reaching for your wallet.

4. Keep everything updated

It seems too simple to be so effective, but one of the best ways to keep kids safe online is to make sure that all devices, software, and firmware are up to date.

Updates can seem like a pain, but one of the biggest reasons companies come out with new versions is to deploy security patches that address the most recent and innovative threats out there.

Plus, an outdated operating system or old version of software can render your parental controls and privacy settings useless.

Information provided by

https://www.safewise.com/resources/internet-safety-kids/

Did you know there are scientifically proven benefits of being kind?

Kindness increases our energy, happiness, lifespan, pleasure, and Serotonin. Kindness decreases our pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and Blood Pressure.

Kindness Is Teachable and Contagious!

Information provided by

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-science-of-kindness

Characteristics of Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships

Respect for both oneself and others is a key characteristic of healthy relationships. In contrast, in unhealthy relationships, one partner tries to exert control and power over the other physically, sexually, and/or emotionally.

Healthy Relationships

Healthy relationships share certain characteristics that teens should be taught to expect. They include:

• Mutual respect. Respect means that each person values who the other is and understands the other person’s boundaries.
• Trust. Partners should place trust in each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt.
• Honesty. Honesty builds trust and strengthens the relationship.
• Compromise. In a dating relationship, each partner does not always get his or her way. Each should acknowledge different points of view and be willing to give and take.
• Individuality. Neither partner should have to compromise who he/she is, and his/her identity should not be based on a partner’s. Each should continue seeing his or her friends and doing the things he/she loves. Each should be supportive of his/her partner wanting to pursue new hobbies or make new friends.
• Good communication. Each partner should speak honestly and openly to avoid miscommunication. If one person needs to sort out his or her feelings first, the other partner should respect those wishes and wait until he or she is ready to talk.
• Anger control. We all get angry, but how we express it can affect our relationships with others. Anger can be handled in healthy ways such as taking a deep breath, counting to ten, or talking it out.
• Fighting fair. Everyone argues at some point, but those who are fair, stick to the subject, and avoid insults are more likely to come up with a possible solution. Partners should take a short break away from each other if the discussion gets too heated.
• Problem solving. Dating partners can learn to solve problems and identify new solutions by breaking a problem into small parts or by talking through the situation.
• Understanding. Each partner should take time to understand what the other might be feeling.
• Self-confidence. When dating partners have confidence in themselves, it can help their relationships with others. It shows that they are calm and comfortable enough to allow others to express their opinions without forcing their own opinions on them.
• Being a role model. By embodying what respect means, partners can inspire each other, friends, and family to also behave in a respectful way.
• Healthy sexual relationship. Dating partners engage in a sexual relationship that both are comfortable with, and neither partner feels pressured or forced to engage in sexual activity that is outside his or her comfort zone or without consent.

Unhealthy Relationships

Unhealthy relationships are marked by characteristics such as disrespect and control. It is important for youth to be able to recognize signs of unhealthy relationships before they escalate. Some characteristics of unhealthy relationships include:

• Control. One dating partner makes all the decisions and tells the other what to do, what to wear, or who to spend time with. He or she is unreasonably jealous, and/or tries to isolate the other partner from his or her friends and family.
• Hostility. One dating partner picks a fight with or antagonizes the other dating partner. This may lead to one dating partner changing his or her behavior in order to avoid upsetting the other.
• Dishonesty. One dating partner lies to or keeps information from the other. One dating partner steals from the other.
• Disrespect. One dating partner makes fun of the opinions and interests of the other partner or destroys something that belongs to the partner.
• Dependence. One dating partner feels that he or she “cannot live without” the other. He or she may threaten to do something drastic if the relationship ends.
• Intimidation. One dating partner tries to control aspects of the other's life by making the other partner fearful or timid. One dating partner may attempt to keep his or her partner from friends and family or threaten violence or a break-up.
• Physical violence. One partner uses force to get his or her way (such as hitting, slapping, grabbing, or shoving).
• Sexual violence. One dating partner pressures or forces the other into sexual activity against his or her will or without consent.1

It is important to educate youth about the value of respect and the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships before they start to date. Youth may not be equipped with the necessary skills to develop and maintain healthy relationships, and may not know how to break up in an appropriate way when necessary. Maintaining open lines of communication may help them form healthy relationships and recognize the signs of unhealthy relationships, thus preventing the violence before it starts.

Resources for Victims of Teen Dating Violence

Victims of teen dating violence often keep the abuse a secret. They should be encouraged to reach out to trusted adults like parents, teachers, school counselors, youth advisors, or health care providers. They can also seek confidential counsel and advice from professionally trained adults and peers.

Resources for teens involved in abusive relationships include the following:

1. The National Dating Abuse Helpline

1-866-331-9474

2. Love is Respect

Web Resources, live chats with peer advocates, or text "lovies" to 22522

3. The National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

4. The National Center for Victims of Crime

1-800-FYI-CALL

Information provided by

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/teen-dating-violence

Email: williamsona@jacksonk12.org
Website: https://www.jacksonk12.org
Phone: 256-574-6079