Ways to help your
kids stay safe online‘Digitally-saturated’ is now a term that is regularly used to describe our culture in Australia. This week, it has been highlighted to us again that in our digitally-saturated culture, many people use the internet for evil, and children can be exposed to harmful and hurtful things on the internet. Over the last few days, I have received phone calls and emails from parents, seeking advice about how they can help their child/ren to be safe online. As I have chatted to these families, I have been impressed with parents’ understanding of their primary God-given responsibility of nurturing their children to maturity. As you reflect about how you can keep your child/ren safe on the internet, I encourage you to think and pray about how you and your family can be stewarding this resource that God has given us for His glory. The latest Nurture magazine promoted ten beneficial and practical ways to help keep kids safe online, and I hope you find these helpful and relevant for your family: Talk openly with your child about their online activity: as soon as your child starts accessing the internet, talk to them about what they are reading, watching and who they are communicating with online. Please continue to keep these conversations happening as they grow older. Know your parental controls: do your research; there are many different parental control options available. Every family, and possibly every child, may need a variety of controls in place. Whatever controls you implement, they should be partly scaffolding your children to manage these things on their own in the future. Use the computer in a communal area: putting the computer in a central location, rather than in a child’s bedroom, is a simple way to make sure you are aware of child’s online activities. You can even make a rule of no devices allowed in the bedrooms if needed. Create strong passwords: demonstrate how to create strong passwords that aren’t easy to guess. If you are not sure how you do this yourself, find out! Passwords should never be shared (except with parents) - this includes their friends! Explain the concept of a digital footprint: encourage your children to think about the future before posting online. Before posting something, they should consider that there is every chance someone may see it in the future. Nothing on the internet is entirely private and content never completely goes away. Teach digital citizenship: the online environment can give a feeling of anonymity which can encourage kids (and grown-ups) to say and do things they wouldn’t in real life. They should never say anything online that they wouldn’t say to another person’s face. Teach caution regarding strangers: online chatting should be primarily with friends and family. Remind kids that people online might not be who they say they are; they should never give any private information. Lead by example: model the positive online behaviour you would like your children to use. If they see you being cautious and respectable online and hear you speaking honestly about your activity online, they are more likely to do the same. Participate in an online webinar with eSafety Commissioner: The Office of the eSafety Commissioner provides regular online webinars for parents and children in many areas related to safety. Keep the lines of communication open: regularly be in conversation about how your family values affect behaviour online. Make sure your children know they can always come to you if something isn’t right. When you respond, remember, whatever you do, you want them to feel comfortable to come to you again and again.
(Nurture Magazine, 2020) I take this opportunity to communicate to you again, that whilst we have strict internet filtering and security protocols at Northern that prevent students from accessing these sites whilst at school, we still encourage you to be vigilant at home. If your children are affected by something they see on social media, we have our Counsellor and Chaplains here to help. Miss Bethany Armstrong — Principal
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