It’s Never Too Early To Talk About Online Safety
The internet has evolved significantly in the past two decades and the benefits have been enormous. However, these developments have also exposed us to many risks with real impacts, which makes online safety awareness critical.
Practising online safety can help prevent you and your kids from being exposed to unwanted information or risks on the internet that might harm your devices, personal information, or your family. It is so important to teach children computer safety so that they don’t fall victim to the common dangers of the internet.
According to a study by the Australian Government e-Safety Commissioner (eSafety), nearly half of children who were online in the past year were treated in a hurtful or nasty way. Even more shockingly, 30 percent of teens have been contacted by a stranger online.
- Cyberbullying
- Online predators
- Inappropriate content
- Identity theft
- Phishing
- and other online scams
New threats are also constantly emerging and evolving.
Privacy and digital footprint are also things to consider, as once something is posted it can stay online permanently, even if it has been deleted.
Starting the conversation and getting into the habit of talking about online safety with your family is the best place to start when it comes to protecting your family online. Open conversations can make children feel comfortable coming to you if they need help working through an issue. Children are using devices from a very early age, so putting in place a family agreement with easy-to-follow rules around using the internet can be beneficial. The agreement could include time limits, permitted apps, and appropriate online behaviour.
Supervising online activity may be easier with younger children but is important for all age groups. It is essential to understand and get involved with your children’s online activities and how they spend their time online. Ensuring children use the internet in open or shared spaces of the house and not behind closed doors could help with this.
- Avoid sharing personal information online that could be misused.
- Check your privacy settings and make sure your accounts are secure.
- Avoid posting photos or videos that might identify where your child lives or goes to school.
- Remind children not to reveal information about themselves.
- Pick a username that isn’t your real name and a profile picture that doesn’t reveal any personal information.
- Set up parental controls.
- Utilise the online guides available to set controls on devices, accounts and on social media, games, and apps.
- Remind children that stranger danger is also an important factor on the internet.
- Teach your kids to use strong, hack-proof passwords by selecting a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and make sure it’s at least 12 characters long. Never use common words, phrases, or personal information like a phone number or family member’s name.
- Keep your social media accounts secure and privacy settings on.
- Shop online from secure sites—one of the best indicators is whether a site is running on HTTPS, which means the site has a security certificate that safeguards visitors’ personal information by encrypting their data.
- Be careful what you download.
If cyberbullying has occurred, block and report the bully. Keep proof of the bullying and report the material to the social media service. If the content is not removed with 48hrs, report it to eSafety.
The eSafety website has been set up to help Australians have safer and more positive experiences online. A wealth of information for parents can be found here.
Offensive and illegal content complaints should be made at esafety.gov.au for investigation.
If you believe you are a victim of an online crime, incident or vulnerability, you can report this information to the Australian Cyber Security Centre via the ReportCyber website.
