Digital Citizenship

& Social and

Emotional Learning
NAVIGATING LIFE’S DIGITAL DILEMMAS

with the generous support of

 Digital Citizenship &
Social and Emotional Learning

Our Guiding Principles

Promoting Digital Citizenship means empowering students to

think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly
in our digital world.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) skills are crucial to

managing these digital issues with perspective.

SEL skills can be integrated into any classroom or lesson — any

day of the week — to further making good decisions at home, at
school, in our communities, and in the workplace.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. ii
 Using This Guide
A key aspect of Digital Citizenship is thinking critically when faced with digital dilemmas. Navigating
these challenges isn’t just about rules and procedures; it’s about character. Students won’t support
someone being bullied if they don’t have empathy. They won’t see a problem with plagiarism if they
lack integrity.

This guide will help you connect challenging digital dilemmas to social and emotional skills through
discussion questions, lessons, and digital tools that target key SEL skills and build students’ character.

Our Approach: Resources for Real-Life Challenges

Every section contains materials to help students think and act proactively about a specific topic.

1 2 3
A digital dilemma that Discussion questions Extension resources
introduces students to that focus on SEL skills and digital tools to help
challenges they may face and help students build SEL skills even
make wise decisions further
when confronted with
the dilemma teaching tip: Looking for
teaching tip: Be sure to more ways to explore these
review each digital dilemma prior topics with your school
to sharing with your students to community? Check out our
certify their appropriateness for Connecting Families program to
your particular grade level. expand the conversation beyond
the classroom.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. iii
 Character Strengths
Our definitions for the character strengths used throughout this guide.

Communication Listening attentively and Humility Not regarding yourself as more

appreciatively, expressing special or better than others.
yourself clearly and sensitively,
and honoring differences.
Integrity Speaking the truth. Acting
in a sincere manner. Treating
Compassion Caring about others and people equally and taking
behaving toward others with responsibility for your
affection, generosity, and feelings and actions.
concern.

Perseverance Persisting in a course of

Courage Taking on challenges even action in spite of obstacles.
when there’s risk. Speaking up Steadfastness in doing
for what’s right even if there’s something despite difficulty
opposition; acting on your or delay in achieving success.
convictions.

Self-control Being able to appropriately

Curiosity Having a strong desire to learn manage your thoughts, feelings,
or know something — a search and impulses. Requires paying
for information for its own sake. attention to your emotions
Actively seeking out challenges and feelings.
and new experiences.

Teamwork Working respectfully and

Empathy Understanding the feelings and effectively with a group and
perspective of another person; doing your share.
putting yourself in their shoes.

Gratitude Being aware of and thankful for

the good things that happen in
your life and taking the time to
express appreciation and return
kindness.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. iv
 Table of Contents

Social Media Sexual Imagery

& Body Image 2 & the Internet 17

Distraction, Multitasking
Cyberbullying 5 & Time Management 20

Sexting &
Nude Photographs 8 Digital Drama 23

Digital Footprints Video Games

& Photo Sharing 11 & Violent Content 26

Privacy, Surveillance
& Self-Disclosure 14 Selfie Culture 29

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 1
Social Media & Body Image

Digital Dilemma

Josh clicked open his Instagram app and saw the latest version of his grade’s
new favorite game. Someone would post pictures of four different girls on
Instagram, and others would vote for the most attractive by “liking” her
picture. The girl whose picture received the fewest number of likes would
be eliminated, and pictures of the other three girls were reposted for
another round of voting. The sharing and voting process would continue
until there was a winner. Josh said that one of the “worst” parts of the
game was that the girls who lost might actually initiate another round
of the game with a fresh set of girls, in the hopes of winning a separate
version. Still, he didn’t want to get involved. He knew that games like Hot or
Not were popular in other schools, so he figured this was just his grade’s version.

Discussion Questions
Self-Control Integrity
It’s easy to think that you If your friend told you she wanted to start one of these games,
wouldn’t participate in this what do you think would be the right thing to say to her?
game. Why do you think
people might participate Empathy
even though they know the
Do you think that the pictures of girls posted in this game
game is “wrong”? Do you
would be the same as pictures the girls would have posted of
think there’s something
themselves? How and why might they be different?
about social media that
makes it easy for people
to ignore the potential Humility
consequences of their What is the difference between receiving a compliment in
actions? person and a “like” on social media? Which is more meaningful?
Would you rather get one compliment in person or 100 likes
teaching tip: Try to get on Instagram? How does each impact your self-confidence
students talking about the differently?
pressures they sometimes feel
to participate in peer-related
teaching tip: Humility involves thinking beyond the surface. Encourage
activities and how it can override
students to reflect on the emotions they feel when they engage in such
their self-control.
behavior. What is it that they get from liking or not liking something?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 2
Social Media & Body Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

Selling Gender Stereotypes Feeling on
Stereotypes Online Display

Digital Tools

Four Little Corners

A simple, cute storybook about acceptance and standing up for what’s right
shows students that even though we all look different, we have the power to
take responsibility for our actions and treat others with integrity.

Teaching Tolerance
Focusing on diversity, equity, and justice, this website provides resources for
teachers to help students gain an appreciation for world cultures. The Mix It
Up activities move students out of their comfort zones to develop empathy
for others.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 3
As teachers, we sometimes
forget that little, everyday
actions in the classroom
have a huge impact on our
students’ lives.
Cyberbullying

Digital Dilemma

Mackayla looked away from her computer screen in disbelief. One of

her friends had just sent Mackayla the link to a vicious fake page … of
Mackayla’s younger sister, Remy. Someone — she had no idea who
was behind it — had used Remy’s picture and name to make a fake
account. They filled out all of the “About me” sections making fun of
Remy’s interests, hobbies, and even her style and appearance. All of
the tagged pictures were pictures of Remy’s head superimposed on
embarrassing bodies. One pictured showed Remy’s face on the body of
a very overweight older man, and another had Remy’s head on the body
of a nearly naked bikini model. Even worse, it looked like the fake page had
“friended” more than half of Remy’s grade. Mackayla remembered that Remy
had mentioned having some issues at school and had even come home crying a
couple of times, but she had not realized that it had gotten this bad. Mackayla didn’t know if
Remy had seen the page yet, but she was devastated and knew that Remy would be too.

Discussion Questions

Empathy
Courage
What might motivate someone to create a fake social
Do you think Mackayla should say
media page? How would you feel if someone invaded
anything? If so, to whom and how?
your digital “space”?

teaching tip: Try to get students thinking

about ways in which they can stand up for
their own beliefs and the welfare of others by Teamwork
even the smallest of actions. As a victim of cyberbullying, Remy may feel isolated
and alone. What are some ways that you could
remind Remy that she has a supportive network of
Compassion friends who care about her well-being?
How do you think Mackayla could help
Remy in this situation, especially since teaching tip: The goal is to have students reflect on the
the hacker is anonymous? importance of community and various support systems and how
they can contribute to those communities.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 5
Cyberbullying
Social Media & Body Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

What’s Cyberbullying: Breaking Down
Cyberbullying? Be Upstanding Hate Speech

Digital Tools

Sit With Us
This social app helps teens find a seat at lunch. Challenge students to
become courageous ambassadors who host open lunches. Kids can be a
force for change, breaking down the barriers between peers who normally
don’t interact with each other.

STOPit
This anonymous reporting tool allows students to take action against
bullying. Develop and demonstrate a plan that shows students when and
why they should report bullying and how integrity means making tough
choices.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 6
It’s through the
cultivation of empathic
students that schools
become communities.
Sexting & Nude Photographs

Digital Dilemma

Devon opened his cell phone and saw a picture of a girl without a shirt on.
He couldn’t see her face, but saw the text message sent with the picture:
“Fwd if you think Rachil is a slut!” Rachil was in Devon’s Spanish class
and he immediately cringed, imagining how ugly this was going be
for Rachil at school tomorrow. Rachil had sent the picture to her ex-
boyfriend Jose because he promised they would get back together
if she proved she trusted him. She sent it to him and they got back
together, but a few days later they had another fight and broke up. Jose
forwarded the picture to his friends. Then the picture spread like wildfire.

Discussion Questions

Empathy
Communication How does this dilemma speak to the issue of objectifying women
Do you think that Jose and girls? Why do you think Rachil is being called a slut when Jose
is manipulating Rachil was the one who asked for (and distributed) her nude picture?
in this situation? Why
or why not? Instead of
sending a nude picture, Integrity
what do you think would Can sexting ever be a part of a healthy relationship, or are its
be a more appropriate potential consequences too risky?
way for Rachil to “prove”
that she trusts Jose?
Compassion
Do you think it’s Devon’s place to speak up, even though he isn’t
directly involved in Rachil and Jose’s relationship? If you were Devon,
teaching tip: Encourage
students to explore how would you respond to this picture?
alternative ways of gaining
one’s trust through effective teaching tip: Talk to students about the difference between understanding
communication skills. what someone is going through (empathy) and having a desire to actually help
them (compassion).

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 8
Sexting & Nude
Social Media Photographs
& Body Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

Cyberbullying: Overexposed: Sexting
Picture Perfect
Crossing the Line & Relationships

Digital Tools

Mitra
This app gets students to engage in emotional self-assessment. Students
chart on a scale from 0 to 10 how much they lived their values — like
integrity — and felt emotions throughout the day. Over time, they’ll begin to
reflect on how well they communicate with others.

StoryCorps
Have students listen to one of the 50,000 stories on the site, from themes
such as Latino and Veterans. Students will hear how others express
gratitude and compassion for people in their lives. They can then record their
own story about someone who has helped them.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 9
We inspire integrity in our
classrooms because we want
our future leaders to make
honest, brave decisions that
push us ever forward.
Digital Footprints & Photo Sharing

Digital Dilemma

When Vin sent his friend an embarrassing picture of himself on Snapchat, he

hadn’t expected that his friend would take a screenshot of the picture and
upload it to Facebook. He didn’t want to seem uptight, but he was pretty
embarrassed that the picture was posted for all to see. He texted his
friend: “Not cool, man. Take it down.” His screen lit up: “hahahah.” Vin
texted back: “Nah, I’m not playing, take it off.” His friend wrote back:
“Whoa, chill out, I’m just playing,” but he didn’t take down the picture.
Vin was about to go through recruiting for college sports, and while he
knew the picture wouldn’t get him in trouble, it wasn’t exactly the image
he wanted recruiters to see.

Discussion Questions

Communication Perseverance
Compare how Vin and his friend use If Vin’s friend still refuses to take down the
the word “playing.” What are some picture after Vin’s repeated requests, what are
consequences of words with vague some other ways for Vin to make sure the image
definitions? Why do you think it is doesn’t impact his digital footprint and his
challenging for Vin to effectively college chances?
communicate his feelings over text? Can
you think of a better way for Vin to talk to
his friend?
Courage
How might social pressure impact Vin’s
willingness to stand up for himself? Do you
teaching tip: The goal is to illustrate how different think that people would stand up for themselves
forms of communication can lead to effective or
ineffective understanding from both parties. more often if they weren’t concerned about what
others thought of them?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 11
Digital Footprints
Social Media & Body& Photo
ImageSharing

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

Talking Safely Trillion-Dollar College Bound
Online Footprint

Digital Tools

Zoo U
In this research-based social game, kids encounter problems where they
have to make decisions and practice skills such as communication and
impulse control. Teachers can gather assessment info about students’ social
skills to help them make better future decisions.

Couragion
With Couragion, students self-assess what is important to them in a job and
are then matched to possible STEM careers. Quests and video role models
will help students persevere through the tough task of planning their future.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 12
What’s most
meaningful about
curious exploration
is the path, not the
destination.
Privacy, Surveillance & Self-Disclosure

Digital Dilemma

Nik and his girlfriend Blair were hanging out at his house. Blair got up to go
to the bathroom and left her phone on the couch. While she was gone, Nik
noticed her phone light up and saw the name Matthew out of the corner
of his eye. He was torn about whether or not to look, then decided he
would take a quick look at the texts displayed on the main screen. But
he couldn’t resist: He knew her phone password, so he typed it and
opened the conversation. Before he knew it, he was scrolling through
Blair’s conversations. He saw that she had been texting Matthew a lot.
Nik was furious, but he couldn’t decide whether or not to confront Blair
and admit that he had looked at her text messages. Finally, he decided he
was too angry to ignore it. Blair could not believe that Nik had looked through
her messages — she thought that he trusted her and she felt like this was a
complete invasion of her privacy.

Discussion Questions

Empathy Self-Control
Consider both Nik’s and Blair’s points of Since Blair trusted Nik with her phone password,
view. Why is Nik frustrated with Blair? Why does this give him a right to open her phone and
is Blair frustrated with Nik? Do you think read her texts? What do you think Nik should
that one or the other has more of a “right” have done after seeing that Matthew texted
to be angry? Blair?

teaching tip: It’s important to illustrate how Communication

examining each perspective can reveal that many
disagreements occur simply because they have If you were Blair, what would you say to Nik? If
different views based on their experiences. you were Nik, what would you say to Blair?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 14
Privacy, Surveillance
Social Media & Self-Disclosure
& Body Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

Private & Personal Safe Online Private Today,
Information Talk Public Tomorrow

Digital Tools

Calm
Calm helps students ease anxiety, reflect on their emotions, and learn how
to demonstrate kindness through guided meditations. As students practice
their breathing, they’ll gain a better understanding of their own self-control
and how to manage it in stressful situations.

This I Believe
This site focuses on the writing, sharing, and discussing of people’s core
beliefs through short essays. Have students listen to or read essays by
theme — such as empathy — and then publish their own self-reflective
piece on the site to practice communicating their emotions.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 15
Just a small offering
of appreciation
can transform
relationships and
boost student
self-worth.
 Sexual Imagery & the Internet

Digital Dilemma

Kai hopped on his laptop to look for a new remote-controlled helicopter and
found a cool YouTube video showing how to make intricate aerial dives. He
watched the video on repeat, trying to learn the new moves. On the side
of the screen, sketchy video suggestions kept popping up, but he did
his best to ignore them. When his friend Carter came by to see what
he was watching, Carter told Kai he wanted to show him something:
“Click on that ad over there, I bet I know where it leads.” Kai clicked on
one of the sketchy videos and was surprised to pull up a pornographic
website. He knew he probably shouldn’t be on the site, but he was
instantly intrigued. Over the next couple of weeks, Kai continued to look
up different sites, all with pornographic material on them. Before he knew it,
he felt like he was “hooked.”

Discussion Questions

Integrity
Curiosity
Who do you think Kai could talk to about the
YouTube makes it easy for anyone to
inappropriate site he found? Do you have a trusted
find videos of virtually anything. This
person? What would you say to them in this situation?
can be great, but what do you think
are some drawbacks to having such
easy access to so much content?
Self-Control
Pop-up video suggestions on YouTube often have
nothing to do with the video you’re watching. Why do
teaching tip: Help students distinguish
you think this is? What makes it hard to stay focused between the initial act of being curious and
on what you were originally looking for and not get the good or bad decisions that may stem
distracted by other videos? from that inquisitiveness.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 17
Sexual Imagery
Social Media & theImage
& Body Internet

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

Privacy Identifying My Online
Rules High-Quality Sites Code

Digital Tools

Newsela
Students can find leveled, high-interest news stories on Newsela. Challenge
students to find an article where people are demonstrating integrity and one
where they’re not. Use the annotation tools to have students spot biases and
discuss the honesty of citing one’s work.

Sown to Grow
Sown to Grow cultivates a growth mindset — giving students data to think
critically about their progress — by adding a self-reflective layer to any
assignment. As students set goals, they’ll begin to develop more control over
their emotions and learning.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 18
Success isn’t based on
who is on a team but on
the culture created by
the team.
Distraction, Multitasking & Time Management

Digital Dilemma

Carrie was sitting at her family’s dining room table studying for a history
midterm. She promised herself two days ago that she was going to
study for a couple hours each night until the exam, which was now
coming up the next day. Carrie really needed to do well on the test; at
her school, the rule was that students could only compete in sports
events if their grades were high enough. Carrie was supposed to play
in tennis regionals at the end of the month, but she needed to boost
her history grade by eight points. The last couple of days were not very
productive, so Carrie was really feeling the crunch. She tried to focus,
but the material was just so boring. Before long, Carrie found herself
scrolling through her news feed instead of her World War I study guide. Then
her phone buzzed next to her, and she looked down and noticed she had 22 text
messages in her group text. This was not going well. Carrie flipped her phone on silent, turned
it upside down, and decided to see if she could find any interesting history videos about World
War I on YouTube. An hour later, Carrie had gotten totally pulled into Epic Rap Battles of
History and had made no progress on her studies.

Discussion Questions

Self-Control Curiosity
What suggestions would you give Carrie to help her avoid distractions What do you think
from studying? How could Carrie use technology to help with — rather of school policies
than distract from — her studies? that require high
grades for sports
participation? Do you
Perseverance think it matters what
How can Carrie stay motivated even though she may find the material motivates students to
boring? Can you think of some short-term or long-term goals that study (playing sports
Carrie could set for herself to help her study (besides being allowed to vs. learning)? Other
play sports)? than getting good
grades, what might
teaching tip: Students learn as much from failure as from success. Model for motivate a student to
them how working hard is a process of ups and downs. do well in school?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 20
Distraction,
Social Media Multitasking & Time Management
& Body Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

The Key to Strategic Collective
Keywords Searching Intelligence

Digital Tools

Remind
With Remind, teachers can give due-date reminders right on students’
phones. Challenge students to show integrity and self-control by owning up
to missed deadlines and using the two-way messaging service to give real
justifications.

NaNoWriMo
Have students use the Young Writer’s Program to persevere through the task
of writing a novel in a month. The site uses tools like an online word count to
break the process into manageable steps, and students can use the forum to
ask questions when they get stuck.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 21
Compassion creates a culture of students who
are one step closer to making real, positive
change in their communities.
Digital Drama

Digital Dilemma

Erin was home sick from school watching a movie when she looked down
at her phone and saw her screen filled with text messages written in
capital letters and punctuated with exclamation points. “I HATE YOU!!!
HOW COULD YOU?!” Erin panicked — she had no idea why she was
receiving the flood of vicious text messages. She frantically texted two
of her friends, but both were in class, and her calls went to voicemail.
A few hours later, Erin pieced together what had happened. Someone
had hacked into her best friend’s Facebook page, acted as Erin, and sent
perverted messages to the best friend’s boyfriend. The best friend was
furious and was convinced it was Erin, since Erin was the only person who
had her password. Erin hadn’t been at school to defend herself, so their other
friends had already heard about the incident and were mad at Erin, too.

Discussion Questions

Integrity Communication
If you were Erin’s best friend and Do you think it was reasonable for Erin’s best
realized that you had falsely accused friend to assume that Erin was the one who hacked
Erin of hacking into your Facebook her? How can jumping to conclusions lead to
page, what do you think you should do miscommunication?
or say? Do you owe Erin an apology, or
was your reaction justified?

Empathy
teaching tip: When dealing with the “right Why do you think a person might impersonate
thing” to do, there’s hardly ever one answer.
Make sure to treat all student answers with an
someone online? What might cause that person to
open mind. seek attention or cause chaos in this way?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 23
Digital Drama& Body Image
Social Media

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

The Power The Reality of Turn Down the Dial
of Words Digital Drama on Cyberbullying

Digital Tools

inspirED
inspirED acts as a resource for lessons that build social and emotional skills.
Along with accessing the uplifting activities, teachers can help students
organize an inspirED team that works together to build empathy and make a
positive impact on the whole school community.

The Noun Project

This site aims to create a global visual language of symbols and icons.
Students learn what it would be like to communicate only through visuals
and can design their own icon, thinking about how to best represent a word
through a picture — which might help them better understand the impact of
their own words.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 24
Healthy communication is
vital to thriving workplace
communities; it is essential
for effective collaborative
classrooms as well.
Video Games & Violent Content

Digital Dilemma

Jaden isn’t a “hardcore gamer” compared to many other kids he knows, but
he does have a few video games that he loves. His latest favorite is Doom
Battle. Jaden’s parents are constantly bugging him about how much time
he spends gaming, but from Jaden’s perspective, he spends way less
time playing than most of his friends. Plus, he finds it’s a great way to
unwind and relax after a long day at school. Jaden’s parents tell him to
“do something productive” or “at least go hang out with your friends.”
Yet Jaden doesn’t see gaming as a waste of time, and he often plays
with his friends. Lately, his parents have been threatening to put time
limits on his video game playing, and Jaden feels like he’s being punished
when he hasn’t done anything wrong.

Discussion Questions

Empathy Communication
If you were a mediator, how would If you were Jaden, how would you explain your point of
you help Jaden and his parents view to your parents? If you were Jaden’s parents, how
consider each other’s points of view? would you explain your point of view to Jaden? Why
What do you think would be a good do you think it is difficult for Jaden and his parents to
compromise between Jaden and see eye to eye?
his parents?

Gratitude
teaching tip: Try to get students thinking
about what experiences, perspectives, or Appreciating one another can impact people’s abilities
biases a parent might have to make them to resolve conflicts. In Jaden’s case, how do you think
more or less willing to allow video game time; being grateful for his parents might play a role in their
pose some possible scenarios for the class.
conversation about video game screen time?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 26
Video
Social Games
Media &&Body
Violent Content
Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

The Rings of
My Media Digital Life 102
Responsibility

Digital Tools

Seesaw
Seesaw’s digital portfolio allows students to submit a variety of work, such
as videos or drawings, then reflect on learning through a voice recording.
Have students practice communicating their learning to parents and
teachers to build a shared understanding.

Pairin
This program includes a survey that measures 105 soft-skill personality
attributes like self-control or social awareness. After receiving the data,
students can reflect on which strengths they are grateful for, as well as work
with teachers and parents on areas of future growth.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 27
So much of the way we use
technology today challenges
the idea of restraint, from
tweeting in anger to posting
for “likes.”
Selfie Culture

Digital Dilemma

Dylan’s friend Jamie was completely addicted to posting selfies. Twitter,

Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, you name it — Jamie’s page was covered
in selfies. Dylan had tried to ignore it, but it was only getting worse and a
few things were especially driving Dylan crazy. One: Their other friends
had started making fun of Jamie’s posting. Dylan didn’t know what to
do — defend Jamie or join in? Tell Jamie about their friends’ teasing, or
just stay quiet? Two: Whenever they were hanging out, Jamie would
be snapping selfies or asking for Dylan’s opinion about which picture
to post and what to make the caption. It started to seem like it was all
about Jamie, all the time, and Dylan was exhausted.

Discussion Questions

Perseverance Empathy
If Dylan asks Jamie to tone down the Selfies aren’t necessarily a bad thing. What are
selfie posts but Jamie ignores his request, some good aspects of selfies? Where would you
what do you think Dylan should do next draw the line between in-control and out-of-control
(without nagging his friend)? selfie-taking?

Self-Control Humility
Why do you think Jamie is “addicted” to What role do you think social media plays in
posting selfies? What reason(s) might people’s evaluations of themselves? Do you think
someone have for constantly posting that the pictures people post on social media are
pictures of him/herself? accurate reflections of themselves and their lives?
Why or why not?

teaching tip: Point out to students that

addiction and self-control are related, but are not teaching tip: Try to get students thinking about the bigger
the same thing. Ask them what they think the picture. How do they see themselves around friends? How do
difference is. they see themselves as part of a larger, global community?

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 29
Selfie
Social Culture
Media & Body Image

Extension Resources
Suggested Digital Citizenship Lessons

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

3-5 6-8 9-12

Super Which Me Becoming
Digital Citizen Should I Be? a Web Celeb

Digital Tools

Peekapak
These digital stories help kids understand the differences between gratitude,
self-control, courage, and more. With great at-home connection activities,
students will start to reflect more on who they are and what roles they play
at home and in school.

Big History Project

This site looks at science and history from a broad lens and ultimately asks
questions such as “Why are we here?” Project-based learning activities
get students questioning their humble existence while predicting the next
pivotal moment in Earth’s future.

digital citizenship & social and emotional learning © 2017 Common Sense Education. All rights reserved. 30
You don’t have to stop
using the tools you love
or toss out your lesson
or curricular plans to
start developing SEL.