With the increase of time and use of the internet and online programs it is critical that we support and supervise children online. The internet is a great way to socialise, learn and be entertained, but there are risks. The following are some tips from the eSafety Commissioner to help you keep your child safe online.

Start the chat

Get into the habit of talking about online safety as a family, so your child feels comfortable coming to you if they ever need help working out an issue. It’s never too early to introduce good online habits such as respect, empathy, critical thinking, responsible behaviour and resilience.

Choose games and other apps carefully

Investigate apps and think about the positives and negatives when your child asks to download a new game or other app. Consider things like age ratings, the content, managing privacy settings and reporting abuse in-app.

Use digital technology together

Exploring or playing on devices or online with your child can be a positive experience that promotes learning and development. Ask questions, be curious and get involved.

Keep up to date

Explore the latest research and participate in online webinars to learn how you can help your child develop the skills to be safer online. Please see the 'eSafety Webinars for parents and carers' page for more information

Use parental controls

Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what your child sees and does online. They can be set up to do things like:

Block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions (like using a device’s camera, or the ability to buy things).
Filter different kinds of content — such as ‘adult’ content, content that may promote self-harm, eating disorders, violence, drugs, gambling, racism and terrorism.
Allow you to monitor your child’s use of connected devices, with reports on the sites they visit and the apps they use, how often and for how long.
Set time limits, blocking access after a set time.

Parental Control for devices
Windows/PC	Microsoft Family provides the ability to manage your children’s online activity on Windows devices through website blocking, checking in online at any time, and viewing activity reports on sites, apps and games visited.
Mac OS	Allows you to set profiles for each child to do things like limiting access to websites or apps, restrict functions like Siri or the iTunes store, set time limits for days of the week and for bedtime, and hide profanity in the dictionary and other sources.
Apple Tablets & Smart Phones	Operating systems from iOS12 enable you to restrict access to browsers and applications, in-app purchasing, social networking, inappropriate internet content, sharing of data, media streaming and online gaming.
Android tablets and smartphones	Although Android has no general built-in parental control features, Android devices can be controlled using Google Family Link. You can also set up parental controls on Google Play to restrict the content your child can download or purchase

If you have any questions or would like any further information please get in touch.

Nick Hoare

Digital Technology Coordinator

nhoare@sjvmulgrave.catholic.edu.au

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