5 Steps to Keep Kid Bloggers Safe

By Lizzy Chan

Give your students a blog and the right safety tools and you’ll be amazed by how it motivates them to pursue learning inside and out of the classroom.

Students bloggers, also referred to as kid bloggers, has a number of other awesome benefits. It helps students build community by keeping a class blog together and is a creative way to encourage students to write more. Blogging also gives parents an opportunity to help their child learn about a topic of their choice.

Despite the benefits, some teachers may be hesitant to let kids roam freely online. If this is you, use these kid blogger safety tips to establish rules for a safe and educational experience.

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1. Keep parents informed: Use a consent letter to get permission before displaying your students’ work or images online. Suggest that parents subscribe to their child’s blog to make it easier for them to follow along with their progress.

2. Talk safety: Teach your kids how to blog safely and responsibly. Devote time to brainstorming the dos and don’ts of blogging and using the internet. Make a classroom poster of the safety rules for your kid bloggers’ reference.

3. Be diligent: Consistently reinforce the safety rules and be available to any questions your students may have about safety.

4. Never post personal information: Don’t allow your kid bloggers to use full names. And remember that even the smallest pieces of information—home town or birthday—can reveal information that you don’t want others to know.

5. Review posts before publishing: Double check that the content reveals no personal information. You may want to follow your standard assignment review protocol as well, like checking that each student stayed focused on the writing prompt or task.

Have additional suggestions for keeping kid bloggers safe? Share it with us!

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