Top Tips for Internet Safety

Picture of boy and father using laptopSince the Government have set a target of every home having access to broadband by 2012 we thought it would be good to set out some top tips for internet safety. Taken from interviews with parents, we have created a set of suggestions for keeping your children safe in the digital world.

 

  • Keep the computer in a communal area so that children are not left unsupervised on the internet

  • Set up parental controls so that you are satisfied your children are not seeing anything you don't want them to

  • Help your children set their own accounts to allow only accepted friends to view their online profiles on social networking sites

  • Set clear time limits for computer use

  • Encourage your children to talk to you about what they are doing online and to speak to you if they come across anything that they find upsetting or inappropriate

  • Sit with your children when they visit a new website for the first time so you can learn about it together

  • Remind your children that corporate companies may target them online and that it may not always be obvious when they are advertising

  • Talk to your children about what behaviour is appropriate when they are online and about the dangers of giving out personal information, both to individuals and to companies online

  • Explain to your children that the internet is a public space. Small fragments of information such as photos, information about their school, or their favourite afterschool activities can be used by strangers to create a comprehensive picture of their daily lives

  • Children should be made aware that by posting pictures online, they lose the control of them. Photos, once on the internet, can be passed around, edited and viewed by strangers, even if you have a protected profile. Any inappropriate photo will remain in the public arena for life
Last updated: 17th July 2009 at 02:07:57