Keeping children safe online
We have always made safeguarding children our highest priority at Connex Education, which is why we’d like to reiterate what NSPCC have bought to light in their recent research in regards to internet safety, and how we can keep children safe online.
According to a poll by child safety experts, only one in five (19%) of mothers and fathers with youngsters aged 8 – 13 are frequently discussing how to stay safe online with their children.
Find out what we have done to make safeguarding our highest priority
It has been suggested by the NSPCC that parents should be prioritising internet security discussions with their children, just as they would with road safety.
There have been increasing talks with regards to internet safety for young people over the last couple of years, which is why O2 has teamed up with NSPCC for their ‘Be Share Aware’ campaign, to help parents to tackle talks with their children regarding the web.
In an interview with Radio City, Claire Lilley, head of child online safety at the NSPCC, said: “Parents are the first point of call for a child when it comes to staying safe in real life and this is no different when it comes to their online life.
Talking to your child and exploring their online world with them is the best way to keep them safe, but it can be hard to keep up to speed with the internet and some topics can feel more difficult than others”
A report into the role and influence of images and videos in young people’s digital lives also suggested that almost a quarter of young people (23%) say they don’t know how to control who can see what they post on social media, with only half (51%) saying that they always think about what personal information they could be sharing before they post a photo or video online.
Of course, tackling the issue may be easier for some than others. There could be a number of reasons why you may not feel confident advising young people on internet safety, whether it’s down to a lack of knowledge or being unaware of the dangers yourself. This is totally fine, but you should still seek to find advice that you can relay back to your children.
NSPCC has provided three essential tips to help start the conversation:
1. Look at websites and apps together with your child and talk about any concerns you have about them e.g. Facebook
2. Ask your child questions about what they know about staying safe online e.g. what they are doing and what they should be doing
3. Talk about personal information and what should and should not be shared online
You can also click here to download and print a family agreement about online safety, to help your children understand what behaviour is appropriate. This is also a good way of agreeing that they should come to you if they have any concerns or become worried about something they see or do.
If you would like more information on keeping children safe online, visit the UK Safer Internet Centre today. They provide plenty of family-friendly resources on how you can educate yourself and young people surrounding the issue.
