Internet Safety
INTERNET SAFETY INFORMATION - KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE ONLINE
The following information is from John Parsons regarding internet safety.
John is an expert who works with the police, schools and communities. He visited our school last year and gave separate presentations to students, staff and parents. He has a national profile. It contains very relevant information for you, as parents, about how to discuss this topic with your child/children. We thought this information would be useful. To learn more about online safety with John Parsons view his TV and radio interviews at www.simulate2educate.co.nz/tv-and-radio
- Become your child’s “friend” in any social network environment your child creates.
- Maintain easy access to your child’s profile via their log in … you will see everything.
- Ensure that you can always have access to your child’s phone to help them stay safe (i.e. it is not a no-go area) … check the quality of how they are communicating with others; talk about how they connect and communicate with friends. Is it consistent with the values of your family?
- Educate your children about the importance of protecting family and friends’ images … teach them to seek permission of another before they send or upload images to the internet
- Try to always maintain open lines of communication with children. Do not over-react if you see something that alarms you or makes you angry … share your concerns, and always talk about issues as how they relate to them and their friends safety.
- Agree on a time in the evening to stop using the technology within the home … that’s everyone. Remember, what we model today will either come back and embrace us or bite us tomorrow.”
- Talk/ask about their friends and social activity as a way to reduce the opportunity for cyber-separation to develop … encourage being open about new friends and what they are up to, and who their parents are. When in doubt, call the parents and introduce yourself.