Kids Safety Online
Kids have more information at their fingertips now than ever before. Tablets, laptops, and smartphones are more common than ever at schools and at home. That is why it’s so important for families to have open conversations about internet safety early.
If you’re a parent or guardian, you can help to keep your kids safe by
- Talking to them about their internet use.
- Teaching them about online dangers
- Learning everything you can about the internet, and staying safe online
- Monitoring their online activity.
Be a role model for your child
Role models have a powerful impact on those that are watching them. Positive actions by role models create positive habits in children that can last a lifetime and transcend generations. Be mindful of your own internet and technology use, you may not think the habits are bad until you see the habits emulated by others. The time you spend on Facebook, answering email, reading the news, how you treat others on the phone and online and how much of your life you share online, these are all seen and absorbed by those around you. You do not have to be perfect, but you can be more mindful.
keep up to date with current sites
Knowledge is power. Keeping in the loop about what features are available on popular sites, will mean you can spot danger signs easier. For example think about the platform your child is regularly viewing, do you know the ins and outs of how the site works. Are you sure that their are safety features in place to stop strangers contacting your children?
Content on popular social sites will be coming out soon - follow @social_safer on Twitter to be notified!
open lines of communication
Even with all the research in the world it is impossible to grasp how different groups and ages are using and feeling about the ever changing internet. The best bet is to hear it from them. This means keeping an open mind, children and even more so young adults will not divulge information that they feel will get them or a friend in trouble. When it comes to the internet having compassionate conversations is important for keeping lines of communication open and keeping your window open into their online world.
It's important to educate your child on
Phishing Scammers
Teach yourself and the young people in your house to spot phishing scams. Phishing scammers usually contact you through emails, calls, and messages from fake accounts scam you out of sensitive information such as bank details.
- Do not click on ads.
- Do not click on links in emails or messages if you don’t know who or where they are from.
- Do not make accounts on untrusted websites without a parents permission.
Privacy
Young people often cannot understand the repercussions of losing privacy. You should teach them:
- How to make accounts private
- To turn off their location
- To check photos to ensure there are no personal details in the background
- Never give away any personal details
- Respect the privacy of others
- Once they upload something to the internet – it is there forever.
Imposters
Make sure your child is aware that not everyone online is who they seem. Arming them with the knowledge to spot imposters online is one of the best weapons.
- A fake account will have no photos or only a few fake ones.
- To spot a fake you can reverse Google image search to see if they have been stolen from someone or are stock images.
- They will insist on asking personal questions. Never give out sensitive information such as your address or phone number.
Cyber-Bullying
Teaching your children about cyber-bullying is important not only to protect your child, but also to make sure they do not hurt other children.
It is important that cyber-bullying can be an open conversation in your household.
Let your kids know that there are cyber-rules in place on social media regarding cyber-bullying, and they are enforced. You can find such cyber-rules for each social media platform online.
It is worthwhile teaching your children about the effects of cyber-bullying on both ends, and let them know that they can speak up both at school and at home if they witness cyber-bullying.