Most people try to act responsibly and live up to a set of ethical standards that they’ve learned from family, school, or church. These guidelines for appropriate behavior may vary depending on the place we are and the people we’re with.

Loud and boisterous may be fine on the playground or at a sporting event but not in the library or classroom. Running over someone on the football field is OK, but not in a school hallway. Shake hands with adults; high five a friend.

Just as we explicitly teach children the proper behavior in these “real life” situations, we must help kids learn how to behave appropriately, responsibly, and ethically in a variety of digital spaces: multi-player online games, social networking, etc.

Problems arise because children often feel anonymous when using the Internet or mobile phones and, since they usually don’t see the person with whom they are interacting, they don’t see the impact of the things they do or the words they use. That leads to what psychologists call “disinhibition.” Kids may act meaner, more irresponsibly, and more dangerously because it seems like they’re not harming anyone and they can get away with it. That’s one of the reasons children may cyberbully, sext, plagiarize or illegally share copyrighted content. And it’s a good reason to have a conversation with your children about cyberethics. Help them learn to apply the “golden rule” to their online interactions, to act responsibly, and to treat themselves and others with respect and kindness.