Online Behaviours 

There’s no rulebook for being a parent, and the huge and influential online world seems to have been designed specially to make it more difficult! We want our children to be tech-savvy and socially inclusive, but we know there’s a whole lot of caution that needs to be applied to the unbridled use of social media and online access. How do we protect our children while letting them develop their own responsible behaviour to support their choices as they become independent young adults? 

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has produced a series of resources to help guide parents as their children journey through adolescence, and we will share these valuable insights with you over the next few editions of our College Newsletters. So grab a cuppa and have a quick read of our first instalment, with thanks to this amazing organisation whose aim is to make sure our children are safe and happy.

How to build positive online behaviours

As we lead our children through life and its many challenges, we’re often guiding them on how to make good choices and engage well with others. We teach them to say “please” and “thank you” and all the necessary nuances of engaging with the broader world from a very early age, but do we ever stop to consider how this translates into online behaviour?

While the basic skills will vary based on a child’s age group and the correlating interests they have, there are some basic behaviours that it is good to establish as they grow and develop. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation have developed a simple list for three different age ranges which cover the rules that you might want to put in place and some key skills for building open communication. 

For high school students the Foundation suggests that parents consider the following:

• While rules are important at all developmental stages, it is important that rules adapt and evolve to give children more autonomy as they get older. Take the time to discuss the importance of rules around technology use and negotiate the rules together to adapt to changing needs. 
• Continue to show an interest in the platforms and apps that they enjoy and find out more about them (or ask them to show you). This opens up opportunities for discussion around the good aspects of the things that interest them as well as the things that can go wrong. 
• Make sure you know the key challenges their age group might face online – and ask about them specifically.
• Talk to them about things you have heard or read about and ask them how they might handle specific risks if they came up. This provides an opportunity to brainstorm strategies together. Parents can also ask how they could support children best in those instances, which helps build further trust and support. 
• Continue to develop their critical thinking skills by talking about misleading information or edited images and how we can recognise or assess the accuracy of content we access. It’s also a good idea to talk about the consequences of sharing inaccurate or harmful information and how this can impact beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.  

Apps, Games and Social Media - a Guide for Parents and Carers of Young People

The eSafety Commissioner has produced a guide for parents and carers to learn more about the latest apps, games and social media being used by young people. The guide includes information on how to protect your information and report harmful content. Please note that the guide is for information purposes only and inclusion does not imply eSafety endorses a service or platform.

You can visit the guide here: The eSafety Guide | eSafety Commissioner

 For more information, please visit the Alannah and Madeline Foundation or contact our College Wellbeing Team for further support. We are here to help you.