Deputy Principal's Message
Cyber Safety: Helpful Hints from Susan McLean
On Thursday, September 10th, St Fidelis was fortunate to host an informative and engaging cyber safety session for parents, led by Susan McLean from Cyber Safety Solutions.
Susan shared her extensive knowledge and experience in keeping children safe online. Her presentation highlighted some of the risks children can encounter online, including cyberbullying, inappropriate content, online grooming, sharing personal information and images, and online gaming.
A key message from Susan was that parents don't need to be technology experts to keep their children safe online. What matters most is staying involved, knowing what children do online, and maintaining open conversations about their digital experiences.
Susan's Top Cyber Safety Tips for Families
Keep devices in shared spaces
Susan strongly recommends keeping internet-enabled devices in common areas of the home rather than bedrooms or bathrooms. This makes it easier for parents to supervise online activity and notice what children are viewing and who they are communicating with. It also limits opportunities to send inappropriate photos.
Talk early and talk often
Create an environment where children know they can come to you if something online makes them uncomfortable, worried or upset. These age-appropriate conversations should begin early and continue as children grow and their online experiences change.
Know the passwords and use privacy settings
Susan encourages parents to understand their child's passwords and to use appropriate privacy and security settings. Parental controls, filters and monitoring tools can help reduce exposure to inappropriate content, but they should be used alongside conversations and supervision.
Know who your child is talking to
Encourage children to communicate online with only people they know and trust in real life. While this cannot eliminate online risks, it can significantly reduce them.
Know the apps your children are using
Take an interest in the apps, games and platforms your child uses. Don't be afraid of technology. Learn about the apps, games and platforms your children use. Understand how they work, what information they collect and what privacy and safety settings are available.
Think before you post, send or share
Children need to understand that what they post, send or share online can have consequences. Digital content can be copied, shared, and difficult to remove completely. Developing a positive digital reputation from an early age is an important part of online safety.
Don't respond to online harassment
If a child receives nasty, threatening or harassing messages, encourage them not to respond. Keep evidence such as screenshots or messages, block the person where appropriate and seek adult support.
Make sure your child knows they can always come to you
Perhaps one of Susan's most important messages is that children need to know they can talk to a trusted adult when something goes wrong online. Parents and educators can not remove every risk, but can help children identify, minimise and manage risk.
Please remember children may be very confident using technology, but their ability to understand consequences and recognise risk is still developing. We encourage all families to keep the conversation going at home and make online safety an ongoing part of family life.
A big thank you to Susan McLean and Cyber Safety Solutions for sharing such valuable, practical information with our St Fidelis community, and to all the parents who attended and contributed to the conversation.
Linked below are some helpful fact sheets for parents and carers.
Have a lovely week
Vira Pirrotta | Deputy Principal
Learning and Teaching /Learning Diversity Leader