Tips and Advice for Parents and Carers
The theme for Safer Internet Day 2017 was ‘Be the change: Unite for a better internet’.
Everyone has their part to play in making the internet a better place so these tips and links below are a great way to ensure that you are supporting your child to stay safe and positive online.
- Be engaged Talk regularly with your children about how they use technology, and find out what their digital life is like, including how they communicate using images and videos. Perhaps you can start off by discussing your favourite emojis? Watch our SID TV film for parents and carers on the importance of making time to talk: https://player.vimeo.com/video/199003812
- Be aware Explore the online features of the devices you already own in your family and the devices you might buy for your child in the future. Knowing how to activate and use parental controls can help protect your child from seeing inappropriate content online.
For advice and guides on how to make use of parental controls and other safety features on devices, check out our free Parents’ Guide to Technology. - Be there The most important thing is to ensure that you are there if something goes wrong. Your child might be very embarrassed to discuss the issue they are facing so reassure them that they can turn to you no matter what. You are always there to help your children but make sure you know how to get support too by visiting our ‘Need Help?’ page.
- Be thoughtful The internet provides a platform for billions of people to share their views and opinions but not everything or everyone online is trustworthy. Encourage your children to think critically about the things they see online including the images and videos they view on social media. Discussing what they have seen and the message behind a photo or a video can help them consider the difference between fact and opinion, and that there is sometimes more than meets the eye. Need some help starting a conversation? Check out our conversation starters for ways of striking up a conversation with your child about what they see online.