As we all know children are spending considerably more time researching, gaming or communicating online. The priority for all parents and teachers is to keep children safe online, prevent harm and safeguard at all times. People may choose to exploit the most vulnerable within our communities because they understand during these challenging times children will be online more than usual. Please consider the following when you or your child is online;

Children should;

• Know who they are talking to
• Check if they can access material, play games
• Protect their online reputation
• Only open messages from sources they trust
• Do not give out personal information
• Do not share images, video of inappropriate material
• Speak to someone if they feel uncomfortable
• Understand not everything online is true
• Block and report people who are trolling
• Do not give into pressure
• Think before they post
• Keep safe online

Parents should;

• Monitor who their child is communicating with online
• Monitor the content and material accessed or downloaded
• Check content is appropriate
• Set boundaries and parental controls
• Discuss their online activity
• Manage / check privacy settings
• Know where to find help

We have added some documents parents may find useful to understand some of the apps your children may be using on their tablets or smartphones.