I know, phones are a contentious subject, but let's not pretend that most year 6 and 7s don't have phones and use it to communicate with friends and peers. We have made the decision to give dd (12 and in Y7) a smart phone with most features turned off but she can send text messages and also use WhatsApp.
I'm sure the idea of phone or messaging 'etiquette' must be ridiculous to most tweens and teens but seeing that so much social interaction happens on WhatsApp in year 7 I'm curious what the general dos and don'ts are in the this age group?
My dd has just been given a phone now (half term in year 7) and is already on a few year 7 group chats and has messaged directly with a few girls in her school.
Dd is not sure how to best engage with message in terms of what to say, how often etc. She is typing out full sentences but her friends use acronyms and catch phrases, some of which she is not familiar with yet😅.
If you have children in year 7/8/9, could you ask them what the general rules of engagement on WhatsApp are, e.g. not keeping people on read or unread (??), not contributing in groups/lurking (?), spamming groups with endless messages (probably not a good idea)...
Other than not sending rude or bigoted messages, what tips could socially savvy tweens and teens share so help along a less savvy year 7 to engage on WhatsApp with her peers but also to keep safe and out of trouble?