It’s Safer Internet Day, a brilliant EU initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people. Promoted in Ireland by the Webwise Internet safety initiative (part of the Professional Development Service for Teachers), this is the twelfth year of ‘Let’s Create a Better Internet Together’.
The thoughts of what your child might come across online can be pretty worrying. Check out this internet safety advice from Webwise.ie to make sure going online is a positive experience for everyone.
Top 10 tips for parents:
1 Discover the Internet together
Be the one to introduce your child to the internet. Try to find websites that are exciting and fun so you can have a positive experience exploring together. This could make it easier to share both positive and negative experiences in the future.
2 Agree rules for internet use
Try to reach an agreement with your child on guidelines that apply to internet use at home:
- Discuss when and for how long it’s acceptable for them to use the internet
- Agree how to treat personal information (name, address, telephone, email)
- Discuss how to behave towards others when gaming, chatting, emailing or messaging
- Agree what type of sites and activities are okay or not okay in your family
3 Encourage them to be careful when disclosing personal information
- It’s important to be aware many web pages made for children ask for personal information in order to access personalised content. Being conscious of when and where it’s ok to reveal personal information is vital. A simple rule for younger kids could be that they should never give out name, phone number or photo without your approval.
- Older children using social networking sites like Facebook should be selective about what personal information and photos they post to online spaces. Remember, once material is online you can no longer control who sees it or how it is used.
- Teach your social networking teenagers how to use and apply the privacy and security settings of the site. All responsible sites have a Safety Centre and a Block and Reporting system. Learn together how to use the safety and security settings of the site.
4 Talk about the risks associated with meeting online “friends” in person
Adults should understand the internet could be a positive meeting place for children, where they can get to know other young people and make new friends. However, for safety and to avoid unpleasant experiences, it’s important children do not meet strangers they’ve met online without being accompanied by an adult, friends or others they trust. In any case, the child should always have their parents’ approval first.
5 Teach them about evaluating information and being critically aware of information found online
Most children use the internet to improve and develop knowledge in relation to schoolwork and personal interests. Help them become aware that not all information found online is correct, accurate or relevant. Educate children on how to verify information they find by comparing to alternative sources on the same topic. Show them trusted sites they can use to compare information.
6 Don’t be too critical towards their exploration of the internet
Children may come across adult material by accident. And, they may also intentionally search for such websites; remember it’s natural for children to be curious about off-limits material. Try to use this as an opening to discuss the content with them, and make rules for this kind of activity. Be realistic in your assessment of how your child uses the Internet.
7 Report online material you may consider illegal to the appropriate authorities
It’s vital that we all take responsibility for the web and report something that could be illegal. By doing this, we can help to prevent illegal activities online, such as child-pornography or attempts to lure children via chat, mail or messaging. The hotline.ie service provides an anonymous facility to report suspected illegal content encountered on the internet, in a secure and confidential way.
8 Encourage respect for others – stamp out cyberbullying
As in everyday life, there are informal ethical rules for how to behave when relating to other people on the internet. These include being polite, using correct language and not yell at (write in capital letters) or harass others. Also, children as well as grown-ups should not read other’s email or copy protected material.
9 Let your children show you what they like to do online
To be able to guide your child, it’s important to understand how children use the Internet. Let them show you which websites they like and what they do there. Acquiring technical knowledge could also make it easier to make the right decisions.
10 Remember that the positive aspects of the internet outweigh the negatives
The internet is an excellent educational and recreational resource for children, with millions of age-appropriate sites for younger kids. Encourage them to use sites and avoid registering for sites and services with adult content and behaviours. Help them read the Terms & Conditions of Service for any site and apply all the privacy and security settings on the site.
