Technical ESOs for 7th Graders: Using Social Media Wisely

At Enlightium Academy, students have Expected Student Outcomes (ESOs) for each grade level. This means that upon completing the 7th grade, each student is expected to grow not just academically, but spiritually and socially.

One of the three academic ESOs is technical capabilities. Upon reviewing this article, students in 7th grade are expected to learn how to use social media wisely.

Students should review this article with a parent.

Social media outlets such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram can be a lot of fun. You can keep up with friends, come up with great creative ideas, and more. But as a wise man once said, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Be careful of what you post.

Past social media posts are starting to catch up with everyone from movie directors to politicians. Anything that you post now might be visible to anyone and it can be hard to make it go away. A lot of employers review a candidate’s social media to see what type of things he or she posts. A few things to NEVER post, because you may regret it in the future:

• Complaining about people, even if it’s discrete who it is about
• Anything that will make your grandmother disappointed
• Anything illegal

Don’t meet with people you don’t know.

The Internet is a great way to meet people with the same interests or who get you. But meeting up with someone that you haven’t met outside of the computer can be dangerous. If someone online asks to meet up with you, tell them you won’t be able to. You should tell your parent as well, since that person might be a predator.

Don’t get involved with cyberbullies.

A lot of people hide behind their computers. That means that online they might act tough or be really mean, but in real life they are really shy or scared. If someone is attacking you or someone else on social media or anywhere else, just ignore them. If you respond to their attacks, you are giving them more power to attack you again.

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