Safety@Home

While a common concern related to the safety of children and technology revolves around their use of technology at school, the reality is that whilst at school their cyber experience is strictly monitored, subject to stringent filtering and determined by appropriateness to the task at hand. But in this modern age of technological devices the cold truth is Cyber Safety must become something that is given full consideration not only at school but during the many hours children are likely to spend on technology at home.

At Citipointe we see this as an extension of the development of our students and while we cannot take responsibility for what children do after hours, we see it as paramount that we work in partnership with parents to reinforce our children’s progression towards becoming responsible digital citizens. We encourage parents to be actively involved in their child’s development.

As a reference point these three steps are an excellent place to start this journey:

Be Prepared

“But everyone’s using it!” is the cry of every child denied access to whatever social trend is about.

No doubt if they have not yet, your children will play this card too when they reach the age of “Social Maturity” that says they must be a part of the crowd.

Understand what it is they are asking for. Do some homework and find out what it is that inclines you to allow or deny their requests.

Have answers for them.  While “Because I say so!” may stop the request… It probably will not ease their quest in getting you to change your mind.

Being prepared to have a discussion with your child when they are of age and even offering alternatives or strict boundaries can make a big difference to their long term cyber experience.

Resources exist to help with any discussion and understand some of the basic principles of cyber safety.

https://esafety.gov.au/ is an Australian government website that offers a wealth of resources for parents various aged children and even adults can benefit from the awareness that comes from being prepared.

Non Government websites that offer resources to teach children and parents about safe practices exist also, with wonderful resources and advice freely available:

Bravehearts
Common Sense Media

Be Aware

Did you know Facebook has a minimum age of 13? So do most Social media sites such as Kik, Instagram, Pintrest, snapchat and the list goes on. This is because in their wisdom they do not feel children under this age are mature enough to handle the potential socially awkward situations that seem to frequent social media sites.

Alternatives exist, however, to introduce children into the world of Social Media responsibly. Not to encourage it, rather to allow them to experience it in a supervised and moderated manner.  Facebook-like alternatives such as Grom Social allow an account to be created and linked to a parent’s email address. This allows parents access to moderate chats, preview and select the friends that they are interacting with. It also creates a wonderful opportunity to open discussions about responsible use and cyber safety.

Being aware of the risks and how to minimise these is critical to ensuring a safe digital experience for your child.

Some potential risks to be aware of may include:

Exposure to Inappropriate Material (Cyber awareness and sound Digital Citizen choices can assist in protection from these risks as well as ensuring you have a safe, reliable and active filter on your network traffic)

  • Pornography
  • Violence
  • Explicit Language

Physical Danger (Cyber awareness and sound Digital Citizen choices can assist in protection from these risks)

  • Giving away personal information
  • Setting up meetings with strangers or virtual “friends”
  • Harassment and Bullying
  • Digital Reputation Ruined

Inconvenience (Cyber awareness and sound Digital Citizen choices as well as correct filters and software can assist in protection from these risks)

  • Being hacked
  • Spammed
  • Viruses
  • Identity theft
Be Involved

Being actively involved in your child’s life is not a new concept to most parents.

What is astounding is the number of adults who disassociate a child’s every day life from their “Online” one.

Take steps to ensure safety as you would for any other aspect of their lives:

  • Actively supervise their computer use
  • Set acceptable use limits
  • Set up computer in a public place
  • Talk with your children. Create a family use agreement. See Common Sense Media’s Customizable Device contract for an example
  • Take anything your child reports seriously. Investigate it. If unsure how, contact someone who can.

Be one step ahead with mobile devices:

  • Do not allow iPads to accompany you or your child to bed – they can affect sleep patterns
  • Learn how to set restrictions and become familiar with device settings
  • Learn how to check device usage and iTunes accounts
Continue to Cyber Safety Life Balance FAQs