Children are spending more and more time in front of the screen, especially now that the whole planet is affected by the pandemic. Online safety is a hot topic that I encourage you to discuss with your child.
Here are 9 things to keep in mind:
1. Don’t talk to strangers.
In the online environment everyone is a stranger, because you can never be sure who is hiding behind the image and name you see. If someone approaches you always let a teacher or parent know.
2. Check safety settings
Depending on the social channel used, different preferred settings can be selected. Choose the safest settings to control everything you post. Google your name and see what pictures come up, that’s the digital footprint you leave. Is it what you want?
3. Remember that anything you post is permanent
Many people think that if they delete a post it can no longer be accessed by anyone, unfortunately this is not the case. Anyone can download and save what you have posted and use it later. Think about whether years from now you’ll be comfortable with someone seeing that content.
4. Use secure passwords
A secure password consists of a minimum of 8 characters, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. It must be changed once every six months maximum. Be careful, use different passwords for different accounts!
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5. Do not disclose personal information
The information can be accessed by anyone. Just as you won’t tell a stranger on the street where you go to school or where you live, it’s not safe to post this information online. Checked into a coffee shop with your girlfriends? Who can see and do with that information?
6. Watch out for fake news
If it sounds too good to be true, it really isn’t! Always check a news story on at least three sites before assuming it’s true. When you receive an email from an unknown sender, don’t click on links or provide any personal information. No serious company will ask for personal information in an email.
7. Be respectful
It’s easy to write something when you’re behind the screen. Even if it looks like you’re alone, there’s a person reading on the other end. Despite the interactions, we can feel very lonely in social media.
8. Remember, what you see on social media is not the whole story!
The perfect image people display on social media is just an image, it represents what they choose to look like.
Just the other day I invited the children at the What I do online – online safety workshop to do an exercise where they were going to search for as much information about me as possible on the internet. After they had looked, searched, I asked them what their impression of me was after seeing the information on the internet, compared to how they know me. The answer was: It’s much more interesting on the internet!
9. Recognise when it’s time to stop
Spending a lot of time online can have an impact on other aspects of your life, it can prevent you from doing things you want to do such as: sports, going out with friends or need to do, school, homework, reading. Monitor how much time you spend in front of the screen and set yourself some limits. You can do this with the following apps: Freedom, Moment, Zentime, you can try each to see what suits you.
Source https://www.itstimetologoff.com/2018/02/01/how-to-stay-safe-online-10-tips-for-teens/
If you would like our support in helping your child stay safe online, sign up for the What I’m doing online – online safety workshop for 9-12 year olds. Click on the link to register. We look forward to seeing you! 🙂