Cyber Safety
By the time young children arrive at school many are already online or using digital technologies. They visit their favourite websites, play games and use social media or apps. At school, students spend increasing amounts of time online, learning and collaborating. However, one issue that’s becoming increasingly important both in and out of the classroom revolves around the following question: How do we keep children and young people safe online while ensuring their technology use is positive and purposeful? Discussions are had around cyber safety; we monitor what students are searching through a filtering system and they are blocked from many websites. As teachers, we support students to make responsible choices when online.
Staying safe online is more than just cyberbullying. Online-grooming and internet addictions are becoming real issues in today’s society. I strongly encourage you to discuss current internet/social media use with your children. It may be time to revaluate how much online time is available, the majority of social media interaction occurs not on computers or tablets but on mobile phones. There are a number of resources available online to help students understand the importance of being safe. You may want to go through these with your child as well. Click on the various links below to go to the websites/video clips that look at different cyber safety issues.
ThinkUKnow
https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/
We had this provider speak to our upper primary students earlier in the year. ThinkUKnow provides useful information about young people and the technology they are using, the challenges they may face online and how to support them to overcome these challenges in a safe and ethical way, as well as some practical tips you can apply at home and in school to make the online environment safer.
eSafety Website
On this website, you will find information and real time interactive learning activities that address social networking, cyberbullying and online grooming.
iParent
https://www.esafety.gov.au/education-resources/iparent
Parents are sometimes unsure of where to start when it comes to parental controls and what information they need to know about. The safety commissioner has an excellent website with easy to read information. The section for parents, called iParent has a range of resources where you can learn about the digital environment that your child has access to and how to support your child to have safe and enjoyable online experiences.
https://www.telstra.com.au/support/category/mobiles-tablets/user-guides-help/telstra-mobile-protect
http://www.vodafone.com.au/about/sustainability/digital-parenting
