Next week will mark the 20th anniversary of Safer Internet Day
The online world benefits all of us including children and young people. It can help them learn, play, and keep connected with friends, but we also know there are risks involved.
Next week, (7 February) will mark the 20th anniversary of Safer Internet Day, and this year’s theme is: “want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online.”
More children and young people are spending time on the internet than ever before.
And we are encouraging and supporting parents, carers and professionals to open the conversation around how they can support children to keep safe. Talking with children about online safety is vital and can help them to understand what is and isn’t appropriate.
But we understand that knowing where to start can be a little daunting. Asking your child what platforms, apps and sites they are interested in is a great place to begin. Exploring the apps that your child uses, will help you to understand what they are viewing on a regular basis. By discovering more about privacy and safety settings, you’ll be able to decide which are the right ones to use and therefore help to keep your child safe.
Asking questions about what they do online can identify what your child already knows about keeping safe in the digital world. You could ask "what’s your favourite game to play online?" or "how to do you speak to your friends online?" to help give you a clearer picture how they are spending their time.
Finding out about location sharing is also vital, as some apps and sites use GPS technology to show where users are posting content. Consider the different communications features available too, for example, check their privacy settings are switched on to prevent unwanted contact and group chat settings can be set so that only your child’s phone contacts can be added.
Learning the basics together can help you to know how to report and block people and content, and help prevent your child from being exposed to anything inappropriate or harmful. It’s always important to remind your child they can come to you if they see anything that upsets or worries them.
We know that a child’s safety online is incredibly important, but we also understand that for parents it can be overwhelming. Here at the NSPCC, we have resources and tools to help you keep your child safe whilst using the internet and to give you peace of mind. A bespoke workshop is available on YouTube to help you get a better understanding of online safety - www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO6Ux7qfYXk
More information about online safety can be found on the NSPCC website - www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-blog/SID-2022/
Carla Malseed is local campaigns manager for NSPCC Scotland.
