St Louis Cybersafety Snapshop

All students attending St Louis de Montfort's Aspendale have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.

Cybersafety Snapshot – Safer Internet Day

Helping Families Stay Safe Online

The internet is a fantastic tool for learning, connecting, and creativity, but it also comes with risks—especially for young children. As part of Safer Internet Day, which was on Tuesday this week, we encourage our families to have open conversations about online safety and develop positive digital habits together.

Our new Cybersafety Snapshot aims to provide our St Louis families with practical tips to help support our children in making safe and responsible choices online. By working together, we can create a safer and more positive digital world for everyone.

Top Tips for Parents

🔹 Open Conversations – Encourage regular discussions about what your child is doing online. Ask them about their favourite games, apps, and websites.

🔹 Set Clear Expectations – Establish family guidelines for screen time, social media use, and online behaviour.

🔹 Privacy Matters – Teach children to keep personal information (full name, school, address) private and check privacy settings on apps.

🔹 Think Before You Click – Encourage children to question messages, links, and friend requests. Scammers often disguise themselves as familiar brands or people.

🔹 Kindness Counts – Remind children that their words online have real-world effects. Discuss strategies for handling cyberbullying and where to seek help.

🔹 Stranger Danger Still Applies – Make sure children know they should never meet online friends in real life without a trusted adult.

🔹 Use Tech Together – Play games, watch videos, and explore new apps with your child to model good online habits.

🔹 Secure Devices & Accounts – Enable parental controls, use strong passwords, and set up two-factor authentication where possible.

🔹 Lead by Example – Children learn from what they see. Demonstrate positive online behaviour, including taking breaks and avoiding excessive screen time.

🔹 Encourage Help-Seeking – Let your child know they can come to you if they feel uncomfortable or unsure about something online.

Helpful Resources for Families

✅ eSafety Commissioner – www.esafety.gov.au Guides, tips, and reporting tools for online safety.

✅ Common Sense Media – www.commonsensemedia.orgReviews and advice on apps, games, and movies for children.

✅ ThinkUKnow – www.thinkuknow.org.au Cyber safety education tailored for parents and children.

✅ Office of the eSafety Commissioner’s Parent Hub – www.esafety.gov.au/parentsResources for digital parenting, including advice on gaming, social media, and cyberbullying.

✅ Kids Helpline – www.kidshelpline.com.au | Call 1800 55 1800 Support for children who need help with online issues.

Let's work together to create a safer and more supportive digital world for our children!

💻🌏 #SaferInternetDay #CyberSafeKids #FamilyOnlineSafety

If you have any feedback about this new addition to our Newsletter or requests of content you would find helpful, please email me at twood@stlouisaspendale.com