Online, it is easy to treat teasing or small jokes as if they do not matter much. But text alone does not show tone very well, and the other person may not receive it the way you expect.
The Person Laughing and the Person Hurting May Be Different
Something meant as a joke can still hurt deeply, especially online where facial expression and voice are missing.
Online Words Can Spread Further and Hurt Longer
The person who laughs and the person who feels hurt are not always the same. A message that seems light to the sender can stay with the other person for a long time, especially when many people can see it.
What you can do today
Before posting a joke online, ask yourself whether the other person is likely to laugh too, or whether only you would.
Before posting a joke online, ask yourself whether the other person is likely to laugh too, or whether only you would.
At Digital Kodomo BASE, we want children to remember that words online can carry more weight than they seem to at the moment you send them.