Protect-ED Parents Booklet | Page 19

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT TIPS TO AVOID INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT 1. Monitor and supervise your child online where possible (particularly for pre‑teen children). 2. Know where your children may have access to the internet—at a friend’s house, at school, the library—as a parent or carer you will not always be able to control what they can access so talk to your child about what is appropriate for them to be viewing. 3. Discuss appropriate safety guidelines about using the internet and technology. One great idea is to collaborate to make a family internet usage contract. 4. Talk to your children about the importance of understanding that not everything they read on the internet is true. Encourage them to find out who wrote it, what their intentions may be and if they can back up the information from another source. 5. Make sure your child knows which health and wellbeing sites are trustworthy so that they receive advice from appropriate sources. 6. Reinforce with your child that illegal activities conducted online can be traced by police and they may be held criminally responsible for their actions if they are over the age of 10. 7. Help your child to develop digital literacy skills important for assessing the reliability of sources online. 8. Provide your child with a list of mental health and wellbeing support services which they can access online, such as www.headspace.org.au and www.reachout.com.au. 9. Talk with your child about why pornography is not an accurate depiction of healthy adult sexual relationships and why it shouldn't be seen as a form of education. 10. Encourage your child to come to you or a trusted adult if they see something online that makes them feel uncomfortable. 19