Child Safety

Helping kids thrive online

General tips for supporting your child online:

• Support your child’s friendships online and off by talking with them about their friends and activities.
• Ask your child to demonstrate the games and apps they use to better understand what they play, why it’s fun and possible pitfalls they may encounter.
• Help build confidence by encouraging children to share their knowledge of the online world.
•  Encourage routines that promote health and balance. For example, create device-free times and places in your home.
• Model your own behaviour, by demonstrating that you can put your phone down and concentrate on spending time with your child, without the distractions of being online.
• Talk to your child about who could be their ‘askable adult’, and when they would speak with them.

Harmful content

Harmful or inappropriate content is content that a child might find upsetting, disturbing or offensive.

Ways to start the chat:

• Use eSafety’s information on how to approach the hard-to-have conversations.
• Use the eSafety guide to learn more about popular apps, games and social networking sites.
• Explore eSafety kids pages with your child to discuss topics such as I saw something online I didn’t like.
• Learn how to report illegal content.

Contact with strangers

Unwanted contact is any type of online communication that your child finds unpleasant or confronting, or that leads them into a situation where they might be harmed. At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ a child — building a relationship with a child in order to sexually abuse them. To help your child:

• Learn and discuss what children can do in situations where they might feel unsafe.
• Explore eSafety kids pages so you can more easily discuss topics like someone is contacting me and I don’t want them to.
• Learn about the features of apps that can expose children to contact with strangers by exploring the eSafety guide.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is using technology to bully a person, hurt or scare them. eSafety can help with the removal of serious cyberbullying content. To help:

• Use the eSafety guide to show your child how to block and report users that make them feel uncomfortable.
• Explore eSafety kids to discuss topics such as someone is being mean to me online and people are being mean to others online.
• Teach your child how and when to report cyberbullying to eSafety.

 Resources

• Download the online safety guide for parents and carers — available in 5 languages.
• Use online safety basics to explore technology issues with your child, negotiate rules and get to know the technology.
• Refer to eSafety’s taming the technology to set screen time tools and parental controls.
• Read eSafety’s privacy and your child to help manage privacy and safety settings. It also offers advice about how to check location settings.
• Explore the big issues and find out more about cyberbullying, online pornography, time online, gaming, unwanted contact and grooming.
•  Check eSafety’s skills and advice resources—establishing good habits, hard to have conversations and using parental controls.
• Show your child how to contact Kids Helpline and learn the details of Parentline in your state or territory.
• Be smart and secure when choosing tech gifts for children by reviewing the eSafety gift guide.
• If you have children under five, read eSafety Early Years for more information and resources.
• For parents of teens, visit eSafety young people.
•  Look at eSafety parents for advice, resources and links specifically tailored for parents’ needs.

For parents of primary school aged children, visit eSafety kids.

Source: https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Suzanne Deefholts

Child Safety Officer