Staying safe online
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Online safety is at the forefront of many parents and carers' minds. Technology moves so quickly that it can be hard to keep up with the changes.
Below is some advice from Kidscape, their website has some great advice and tips for keeping children and young people safe.
Engage in open discussion
Promote open and calm discussion about your child's experiences on the internet. If they fear they will be blamed or punished for their online mistakes, they are more likely to hide a problem or try and fix it themselves, potentially making it a lot worse.
If they feel comfortable coming to you with their experiences, you will be able to intervene before a problem escalates or they expose themselves to danger.
Talk about the risks
Children start using the internet from a very young age, so it is important you discuss potential dangers early and regularly. Although topics such as grooming and sexual content can be uncomfortable to approach, it is imperative children are equipped with the tools to protect themselves online.
Encourage your child to read the Kidscape section for young people where they have a range of information explaining the potential consequences of their online behaviour, and advice on how they can protect themselves from threats.
Have an agreement and establish appropriate behaviour
The behavioural boundaries and sanctions you set for your child must include their use of the internet. You may wish to consider the following:
- Set time limits for your child's internet use and incorporate regular screen breaks
- Check social media profiles are set to private, so only trusted contacts can gain access
- Ask your child to only accept friend requests from, or communicate with people they know
- Remind you child that personal contact details are not given out over the internet
- Advise that they never meet anyone in person from the internet without an accompanying adult
- Encourage your child to come to you for help with any problem.
For primary school children, parental controls can be a very effective way of controlling the sites and content your children are able to access. Most computers and internet connected devices have parental controls available. Talk to your manufacturer or service provider to see what restrictions are available.
BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media have guides to help get you started.
Older children and teens are likely to get around filters, or access the internet on personal smart phones or portable devices. It is for these reasons that parental controls cannot be solely relied upon, but seen as an addition to the educational guidelines outlined above.
There's lots of sites which give further information and advice for parents and carers about online safety, including Internet Matters, UK Safety Internet Centre, the NSPCC and Think u know.