Opportunities of Educating Responsibility in Online Social Networks among Teenage Girls at Children’s Day Care Centers

Abstract

This article reveals education opportunities at Children’s Day Care Centers on purpose to strengthen responsible participation of teenage girls in online social networks (OSN). On purpose to reveal the opportunities of educating responsibility in online social networks among teenage girls, qualitative research access has been applied. 16 specialists from different Children’s Day Centers of Lithuania have participated in the interview.

Analysis data revealed that Child day care center specialists in order to ensure teenagers’ safety in social networking sites apply various educational methods: individual talks, rules for the use of social networking sites, organize group activities, discussions, film reviews, have conversations with parents. Active online participation of teenage girls, their inability to assess threats posed by social networks increase their vulnerability involving the risk of privacy, communication and information content. Girls’ safety in social networking sites becomes an incentive to help them become responsible users of social networking sites. Data analysis revealed that girls’ responsibility in social networks could be increased by systematic and consistent educational work, combining all the three components of responsibility (knowledge, abilities and values), based on the dialogue principle and quality institutional cooperation.