The internet is great for learning, sharing, connecting and creating. There are, however some tthings to watch out for to keep your child safe when using it. Parents need to keep up to date with the internet to keep up with their chldren. Most of all create an environment where children feel they can talk to you if they run into problems.

Safer Internet Day top tips for helping them to keep safe:

Set rules and agree boundaries as a family

  • Set boundaries for how long your child can spend online and what they can do
  • Agree this as a family so that access to devices can be shared fairly
  • Use the tools available to help you manage and monitor use accross all devices

Talk about online safety and get involved

  • Have conversations about online safety often
  • Show an interest about what they do online, what sites, who they talk to
  • Make the use of the internet a family activity
  • Share the family rules with babysitters, childminders and other family members
  • Talk to other parents and swap notes....we can always learn from others

Know who they are talking to

  • Strangers can pop up anywhere online...email, social networking,online games so make them aware of this
  • Talk to them about people they meet online and what they can and can't share
  • Discuss boundaries...help them to  understand how important they are
  • Understand the games they play
  • Show them how to report abuse and how to block people the sites they use
  • Keep talking to and with them

Check content is age appropriate and use parental and privacy controls

Finally....enjoy the internet and have fun!

You can contact the Citizens Advice for free and impartial help on any issue, in any of the following ways:

Website advice: www.adviceguide.org.uk

Telephone advice:0844 4111 303 from landline or 0300 330 0650 from mobile

Face to face appointments; 01562 60194

 

 

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here