Keeping Kids Safe Online.
For many of us, we see our online lives and offline lives as different, but children are growing up with technology and the internet and for them there isn’t a difference; online life and offline life are intertwined, they are the same thing for many young people in today’s digitally driven world.
Technology has moved at such a fast pace and continues to do so, it can be difficult to know how to start talking to your child about what they’re doing online, who they might be speaking to or discussing the potential risks and issues they could face?
If you are feeling in the Dark about your Child’s Online Activities, here’s some useful info to help you get upto speed.
Talking regularly with your child is the greatest tool to help keep them safe online.
Talking regularly and making it part of daily conversation, just the same way you would ask about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed and the more you di it, the more it will become a normal thing to discuss.
Having regular discussions also means when they do have any concerns, they’re more likely to come and speak to you.
The number of apps and other online activities kids use today is vast, getting upto speed takes time, children may even use words to describe online experiences which you have never heard before.
Keep showing an interest and keep discussing their activities online and you will gradually pick up on your child’s online activities.
Here are some Online Safety Tips to help you keep on top of your Child’s Online Safety
Chat to them about what they like to do online.
The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to talk to them and have regular conversations so that online safety is part of everyday discussion.
Ask them open-ended questions like
‘What’s your favourite game or app to play on?’.
‘ Do you play that on your own or with other people?’
‘Is that someone from your School or someone you only know online?’
Listen to what they have to say and show an interest.
You could ask them to give you a demo of their favourite app or show you their favourite YouTube or TikTok account.
They will probably be able to show you things, you may not know how to use.
This will also give you an opportunity to review what they like and ensure it is age appropriate.
In some situations, you may see a need to discuss being safe online.
Regular conversations with your child will encourage them to come to you if they ever need support or advice.
Talk about who they are in contact with online, there are lots of different ways that children can talk to people online – messaging apps, on social media, and less obvious ways such as chat on online games.
Talk to your child about who they are talking to and what they are sharing with them, images sharing is something very popular amongst young people.
Use settings to help limit who can contact your child.
Remind your child that they shouldn’t share personal information with people they don’t know online.
Let your child know they can come to you or another trusted adult if any conversation makes them feel uncomfortable
Help manage what they see and do online.
Parental controls and privacy settings can help you manage how your child spends time online and help to keep them safe.
Device
Settings
Manage things like location sharing, screen time and in-app purchases.
Most tech and gaming companies have dedicated pages to support with setting these up.
App or game
Settings
In-app tools that can help to keep your child’s account private and manage who they’re talking to.
You can normally find information on these in account settings or directly on the platform’s website.
Mobile or network provider settings
Help to manage browsing access and stop your child from visiting.
inappropriate sites or downloading apps that aren’t suitable.
Contact your service provider for more information about setting this up.
Remember it’s ok to ask for help!
Talking to other Adults and specialist Child Protection Agencies
Remember you don’t have to be an online safety expert
If your child asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, or speaks to you about a negative experience they had online.
Here are some of things you could do:
- Ask another parent.
- Speak to your child’s teacher
- Contact a Child Welfare Charity
- Raise your concerns in an online community for Parenting, Reddit has many good parenting communities.