E-Safety | Advice for Parents
Top 10 safety tips for how to keep your child safe online – Click HERE
As Parents/Carers we need to be vigilant about what our young people are doing and who they are talking to when they use the Internet. Our key message to you is to be involved and aware of the risks.
So what are the dangers?
Potential CONTACT - from someone online who may wish to harm them. Children must re-learn the "stranger=danger" rule in a new context and never give out personal details or meet alone with anyone they've contacted via the Internet.
Inappropriate CONTENT - keep an eye on the material your children are looking at and agree the ground rules about where your children go and how they behave.
Excessive COMMERCIALISM - and advertising which invades your child's privacy. Encourage your children not to fill out forms which ask for lots of personal details.
What is filtering software?
Filtering software can help to block a lot of inappropriate material but they are not 100% effective and are no substitute for good parental involvement. Internet use at school is filtered, supervised and safe. But many children use the Net at friend's homes, Internet cafes, libraries where there may be no filters and little supervision. It's therefore important to help educate your children about how to behave online and discuss problems which they may have. It helps to keep the computer in a family room - not tucked away in a bedroom.
What about mobile phones?
The issues about being careful online apply equally to mobile telephones. The current generation of mobiles and handheld devices have more and more Internet facilities on them. It is very important to encourage your children not to give out their mobile numbers to strangers or people they cannot trust completely. Talk about the sort of text messages your children are receiving and sending.
Stick to the positive
Encourage your children to stick to the fun and positive sites on the Net that reinforce their interests. Just as you look out for good TV programmes for children take the time to find the best and most useful websites for you and your family.
Communicating your issues
If you start by telling your child never to do something most children will ask "why not?" and then try to find out! Discussing the potential dangers with your children therefore needs care and sensitivity and involves helping them to see for themselves how they might get into difficulty. Most children will respond more positively if you encourage them to be SMART or "Cool" on the Internet rather than giving them a list of "Dos and don'ts"! For further information go to www.childnet-int.org/safety/parents.aspx
How to report abuse:
E-Safety Updates:
E-Safety at Claremont High School.