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Talking about being safe and happy online

Children can have a lot of fun and learn when they are online. Perhaps they have access to your phone or a tablet. They might be involved in playing games online. Or watching cartoons and other content on YouTube. Or perhaps you have decided to keep their online use to a minimum. Whatever your thoughts and approaches on this, now and in the future, the content here will help you talk to your child about being safe and happy online.

A helpful approach is to discuss what your child does online from an early age – where they go, what they see and who they talk to should never be a secret. You also want them to be positive about people and interactions with others, whether in-person or online. But you want them to begin to build skills and encourage them to trust their instinct when something is or feels wrong or upsetting. At this age you are their safe and trusted person.

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Your learning and awareness come first

Before you can support your child and help keep them safe you could spend a bit of time bringing yourself up to date with what a parent needs to know and can do. There are a few places to go. Try one or more and see if any questions you have are answered, or if you pick up any useful tips.

• This short film explains how to keep your child safe. E Safety Tips for Parents from Internet Matters https://youtu.be/sz4EyUMUTro
• Internetmatters.org provides information for parents and carers here: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/6-10/ 
• This Canadian site also offers parents information about helping your child be safe online https://mediasmarts.ca/resources-for-parents

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Being your child’s go to person

From an early age every parent wants their child to know that they can come to them with questions, when they want to share an achievement, when they have a worry. As your child’s online life begins and develops over time you need to be that person regarding what they see, hear and do online. This suggested text can be used often, and at times when there isn’t an obvious worry, to make sure they understand you are there for them.  You can also adapt this text to identify other people you would be happy for your child to go to.

It’s great to watch things, play games and have fun online. I’d really like you to share and tell me what things you are doing online. If you feel upset about anything you see or if someone says something which makes you feel bad or worried inside, tell me, I will always listen. I won’t be annoyed with you. I will be happy that you have come to me.

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Being safe and happy online: Animations to watch together

All the important messages you want your child to learn and understand are captured in these animations from Childnet. You could check them out first, then watch together so that you can check understanding and help your child apply what they learn to their online activity day-to-day: The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew | Childnet.

There are 5 chapters, you can pause and go back on different days, rather than do too much in one go.

• Chapter 1: What should you accept?
• Chapter 2: What is reliable?
• Chapter 3: What should you keep safe?
• Chapter 4: Who should you tell?
• Chapter 5: Be careful when meeting up.

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Over time, these are the key protective messages we want our children to understand

This might feel like a lot. It’s not the intention to suggest you sit down and read these with your child. They are the kinds of important learning points that can come up every now and then, maybe one or two at a time, whenever it feels right. If a message isn’t right for your child at the age they are now, it will be at some point in the future so just keep it in mind. These are also the messages that are part of the Kara and Winston animations (link above).

1. People you don’t know are strangers.
2. When you are online or playing a game, people are not always who they say they are.
3. Keep your personal information private. Don’t tell people online where you live or the school you go to.
4. Never take a photo of you and send it to a stranger or to someone you know, even if they ask. Never share a photo of another person like a friend or sister or brother with anyone, whether a stranger or someone you already know. Photos are also private.
5. If someone says or does something that upsets you, tell me (You can name other adults you want your child to know they can go to). This could be a stranger or someone you know.
6. Don’t arrange to meet someone you only know online. If you are thinking about this, tell me (an adult you trust).
7. If you ever get that feeling in your body that tells you something isn’t right, maybe you feel a bit worried, then tell me (an adult you trust).

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Reporting online safety concerns

The NSPCC provides information about what to do and how to report online abuse or inappropriate content online: Reporting online safety concerns | NSPCC

You can also go here for step-by-step instructions on how to make a report on some of the most popular social media platforms. They can also help if you have reported harmful content to a site and there has been no resolution: Submit a Report of Harmful Content for Review

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Books

You might like to read these books together. Your school or library might have them, or you can ask the library if they will order a book for you.

The story features a girl who becomes intrigued by a penguinpig that she encounters online. When she takes the decision to go out and meet the penguinpig for herself, she finds that things are not always as they seem on the internet and that from now on, she must think before she clicks.

Billy Goat and his best friend Cyril are messing about with the farmer’s mobile phone, taking selfies and playing games… until they discover the number for a troll. Grandpa Gruff says all trolls are bad, so Billy and Cyril decide to get their own back by sending mean messages.

A story about being kind to others and responsible for what you post online. The story features a girl whose computer reveals that it knows about all her online activities. This causes the girl to develop a “digital tail”, which receives a gift whenever she posts something nice or helps others online and becomes bruised, scratched or torn every time she’s irresponsible or unkind.

For the older child in this age range, designed to appeal to children with a love of gaming, As the story unfolds, the line between the gaming world and reality is blurred even further in the race to uncover the truth.