With the new school year starting up it’s the best time to look at how to keep your kids safe online. Below are three simple Internet safety tips to help make sure that your child/ren browse for school-related information safely.
Set Ground Rules:
Sit down with your child/ren and make sure they know what’s appropriate to look at on the Internet and what isn’t. Also make sure they know to come directly to you if they see something they shouldn’t. Emphasize that they won’t get in trouble if they stumble upon something and you’ll likely get a better response from them if they do happen upon something by accident.
Keep Limits:
A set time to go online for school, or for fun, can make a world of difference. With time limits and expected consequences for too much overtime, you and your child/ren will all know exactly what to expect. You’ll also have some ammunition against any complaining that they need 15 more minutes when you remind them that you both agreed on time limits.
Monitor Activity:
Research and experience shows that having the computers in a public part of the house e.g. lounge, reduces the chance of your child/ren being involved in cyber bullying (victim or bully) and/or doing something they know is wrong. I would encourage you to resist the temptation of allowing your child/ren to have a computer in their room and look at options which enable a computer to be in a public place at home.
This year we will be offering workshops during the year around digital citizenship (including cyber safety). It is hoped that the above tips will be useful for you and your children.