From Under 5s to Middle Schoolers, Safer Internet Day (Tuesday 11th) is a fantastic opportunity to have a conversation with your child about using the internet safely, responsibly and positively – we can all play a role in empowering children and young people to enjoy their time safely online!
We now see young children going online to play games, talk to family, watch videos, research topics of interest, and even learn to use voice enabled tech like Alexa and Siri to find out about their world. Older children engage in social audiences, get news about current events and do research, purchase books, clothing, or music; or get information about health and well-being.
Many young people acknowledge the unique challenges – and benefits – of growing up in our digital age. Internet use, and the age that you should begin speaking to your child, will differ between families but essentially as children start engaging with technology and the internet these conversations can and should begin.
Click on to see some top tips for parents and carers for under fives right up to teenagers from saferinternet.org and childnet.com.
Keeping-Under-Fives-Safe-Online
Let’s create an internet where we are….
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Free to talk
Talk regularly with your child about how they use technology. Find out how they like to represent and express themselves online, and how being online makes them feel. Listening to your child will give you the best possible idea of how you can support them. Not sure where to begin? Have a look at our suggested ‘Conversation Starters‘ for parents and carers.
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Free to explore differences
The internet is a place where lots of different people can communicate and come together. For some children, the first place they see people who are different to them may be online. For others, the internet may be the one place where they can find people similar to them. Acknowledge the different types of identities your child may see online, and use these to spark discussions around diversity and inclusivity. Talk to your child about being respectful to everyone online, and what to do if they feel their own identity is being targeted. Use our ‘Quick Activities‘ as a family this Safer Internet Day to help you unpick this topic together.
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Free to make the internet work for your family
There are lots of tools to help you manage the devices used by your family. For example, knowing how to activate and use parental controls can help protect your child from seeing inappropriate content online. For advice and guidance on how to make use of parental controls and other safety features on devices, check out our free Parents’ Guide to Technology.
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Free to get involved
As parents and carers, it’s natural to feel worried about the risks posed by your child being online, but for young people the internet offers a wealth of exciting and fun ways to explore and experiment with their identity. This might be through the characters they choose on games, the filters or emojis they use on profile pictures, the content they share, or the sites and services they use. Spend some time with your child looking at, or interacting with, the things they do online. Talk about both the positive and negative aspects of being online, and empower your child with safe choices they can make – instead of overwhelming them with restrictions.
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Free to seek help and support
It can sometimes feel like young people are the experts in all things digital but remember – you are the life experts. Find out how to get more support by visiting Childnet’s ‘Need Help?‘ page. You can take steps to support your child online by using features such as privacy settings on social media and understanding how to make a report on a range of apps, games and services.
Just as we tell young people to talk about what they are unsure of, make sure you do too! Chances are that you’ll find other parents or carers who are trying to figure out how to make the internet work for their family! You don’t need to know all the answers straightaway but reassure your child that you can figure it out together. Maybe there isn’t an answer, but what your child is looking for is comfort.
How can parents talk to children about their online lives?
In these short films, young people were asked to give their advice for parents and carers who want to talk to their children about their online lives. With tips ranging from having regular conversations to not micromanaging, this film may even inspire you to talk to your own children about their tips for you!