Parental controls, are you switched on?
Our children and young people are more switched on to technology than any other generation.
How can you ensure that your child is protected and safe whilst online?
I am a subscriber to the UK Safer Internet Centre. I have been since attending their training provision four years ago. The content was relevant to my profession, but also helped me to review what we have in place at home for our child.
My partner is the ‘IT Support’ in our home, we both recognise the importance of getting a balance between safeguarding and educating our son. We have custom parental controls set, agreed Wifi cut off times for his devices and frequent conversations at home about his online self, what content he is engaging with and who he spends time with.
Along the way we have had some challenges, difficult conversations and inevitably, consequences. In some ways it has got easier as he has matured, he manages conflict over games better, he signs off when asked, he respects the rules and boundaries. In other ways, I am less aware of the content he chooses as he asserts his independence as a teen, and therefore the conversations become more important.
The UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three organisations who work together to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for young people.
They are funded under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme of the European Commission. The key vision is to create a better internet for children and young people, in line with the European Commission's Better Internet for Kids strategy.
Their aim is to provide advice and support to children and young people, parents and carers, schools and the children's workforce and to coordinate Safer Internet Day across UK.
They also provide a helpline to provide support to professionals working with children and young people with online safety issues.
There is a Hotline, an anonymous and safe place to report and remove child sexual abuse imagery and videos, wherever they are found in the world.
This blog is very much about signposting.
I hope these links are useful for you, and if you haven’t already activated parental controls on devices, please take time to do so. Even the least tech savvy parent can follow the stepped instructions, and safeguarding begins at home.
The UK Safer Internet Centre groups potential online risks into four categories.
Conduct - Children may be at risk because of their own behaviours.
Have conversations at home about the impact of their online activity both on themselves or others. Explain the digital footprint we all leave behind online, and the importance of not sharing personal information. Whilst schools do some really great work and use e-safety resources to teach children from a young age, it is easy for them to feel anonymous, or project a more confident self online. Encourage your child to talk to you about conversations or images online that leave them feeling uncomfortable, and show them how you can deal with them together.
Content - Children may access age inappropriate content or unreliable content.
As a parent you make a decision as to what content your child can access via the internet, streaming, gaming and social media. If they are using social media do you monitor their accounts? What content rating are you comfortable for them to watch or to access on gaming consoles? Whilst I have learned that Youtube can be a great educational resource, it has also prompted conversations about bias and ‘fake news’. There is also the accessibility of pornography on the internet to consider, or other content that may be hurtful or harmful.
Contact - Children can be contacted by bullies, groomed or exploited.
Have conversations about who are real friends and what are online friends and the differences between them. Does your child understand that profiles can be created and people can be anyone they choose to present themselves as online? Ensure that privacy settings are up to date and talk to children about reporting or talking to trusted adults about inappropriate contact, bullying or peers they are worried about.
Commercialism - Children can be unaware of hidden costs within apps and subject to advertising.
Pop ups and spam can be blocked, in-app purchasing can be turned off, and whatever you do don’t save your payment details without password protection. Have conversations about keeping personal information private and how the internet can collect data and store it, knowing our habits and preferences.
Are you in control?
When you want your child to put down their device try giving them a warning first, whether it is 5 minutes or 3 minutes. For the last few minutes engage with them, ask about the game they are playing or video they are watching, be curious and show you are interested, they will appreciate the opportunity to share with you.
When you want them to put down the device then use short, direct instructions with an expectation of compliance, “Time to go, thank you”. then repeat, like a broken record without any other interaction or allowing them to draw you into “just let me finish this, but such and such is allowed to stay on until, but I don’t want to go to football,” etc, etc……….
Find advice and information here at Safer Internet Advice for Parents and Carers
Set up your parental controls with tips at Childnet - Parental Controls
Read tips here on how to have conversations with your child Childnet - Have a Conversation
Information and advice for online bullying Childnet - cyberbullying
Individual safety features and social media guides Safer Internet Centre Social Media Guides
What is your relationship with technology? Do you role model positive choices and routines and boundaries around your own usage?
