Online safety
Technology can be fun, educational and useful. Lots of kids use phones and computers to help with homework, download music, play games and chat with friends. But online activity can sometimes lead to unpleasant experiences, either because of another person’s actions, or simply because of kids’ own mistakes or misguided behaviour.
Safety and privacy online
Sharing images and information through websites, forums, online games and social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and Snapchat is a large part of what keeps young people connected to friends – but it can also jeopardise their privacy and safety.
Speak with your caseworker to see if it’s appropriate for the child or young person in your care to be contacting others through social networking - sometimes contact is restricted or requires supervision in the best interests of the child, so it’s important you know who they are talking to online.
Be careful about what you post online, too
Remember you can also give away too much by posting or publishing information such as your name, photos, birth date and address. Without realising, you may also post identifying or personal information about the child in your care, making it very easy for someone to locate the child or young person. It’s hard to control access to information once it has been posted online. Think before you post and try to limit your use of social channels and the personal information you publish online.
The ground rules
Children are vulnerable to many of the more serious risks of using the internet. These include:
- meeting predatory adults online posing as potential friends
- giving out personal information, such as their phone number, address and photos
- visiting inappropriate sites that contain pornography, racism or depictions of violence
- staying up too late playing games and contacting friends
- spending too much time online, compromising friendships in the ‘real world’.
Make sure you talk to the child or young person in our care about the basic ground rules that will keep them safe online.
- Let your child know their safety is important to you and for that reason you want to check and set the privacy settings of every new app, online club or digital communication they download or sign up for. Choose strict privacy settings and make sure location sharing is turned off.
- Make the privacy rules clear. There are certain things kids should never share online including their full name, home address, school address, current location or phone number. Explain that reputable people and businesses won’t request this sort of information, so if someone is asking for it, your child or teen should let you know.
- Explain that people often say things online they would never say in person, and that they may be exposed to what’s called ‘cyber-bullying’ either from friends or strangers. Tell them the easiest way to discourage a cyber-bully is to ignore them. You can also delete or block bullies so you no longer see their messages. Lawstuff a website run by the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre, has some great information about cyber-bullying presented in a way that kids and young people can understand.
- Remind them that if something online seems wrong, inappropriate or dangerous, they’ll probably feel it: maybe their heart will pound or their stomach will churn. If they’re feeling that way during any sort of online conversation, they should exit it straight away and let you know.
- Make sure they realise that people can disguise their true identities when they’re communicating online and tell them to never meet up in the real world with someone you have met online – this can be risky.
If you know your child has had inappropriate contact online, report it to the police, and also let your caseworker know.