TAKING ACTION
SPEAKING TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT
CYBER SAFETY
Encourage your child to communicate openly with you about the ‘online’ world, the
challenges they may face, what they can do and who to talk to if they experience issues.
While many parents feel as though they are unequipped to discuss cyber safety, it’s
important to remember that many of the behaviours and issues we experience online are
no different to those in the ‘real’ world – it’s only the medium that has changed.
Education and communication are the most powerful tools parents, carers and teachers
can use to address issues that children and young people may face online.
BELOW ARE SOME GREAT WAYS TO START THE CYBER
SAFETY DISCUSSION!
Let them teach you!
Your child was born into a world with technology and many can easily
navigate it as if it were second nature. By allowing your child to teach
you, you can see how well they explore cyberspace and identify if
they need help with cyber security measures like privacy settings.
Be in the know
Take an interest in how your child uses technology. Are they using it to
play games, talk to friends or create a blog? The more actively involved
you are in how your child uses technology the more likely they are to
talk to you if something goes wrong.
Watch a movie
There are plenty of movies that introduce challenges that children
and young people may face online. Movies can be a great way to
raise a topic with your child and can promote healthy discussion
around what they could do if they were in that position. Check out
some of the videos online at www.thinkuknow.org.au.
Put it in writing!
Speak with your child about your family values and how this extends
to behaviour online. It can be a great idea to create a family internet
usage contract together so that everyone in the family knows what
is expected of them while they’re online. A template is available at
www.thinkuknow.org.au.
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