Information for Parents and Carers

The Internet can be a wonderful tool for children and young people. Kids can use it to explore new interests, research school assignments, play interactive games and communicate with family and friends.

The ease of the technology means that children of any age can literally access the world around them.

However, just like in the real world, the Internet has potential dangers and risks. It is important that parents and carers are aware of these risks and of the steps you can take to minimise them.

It is important that you are aware of what your children are accessing on the Internet, who they talk to and what they share about themselves. Just as you would with any other safety concern you have – such as walking home from school alone and road safety – it’s crucial that you talk to your kids about the risks, do your own research into resources that can protect them from potential dangers and keep a close eye on their Internet usage.

Tools To Protect Your Kids

There are a number of tools that can help protect against Internet risks. These include:

Internet Filters
Safe Zones / Safe Search Engines
Monitoring
Pop-up Blockers
Spam Filters
Anti-Adware
Anti-Spyware

For information on these tools (and others), check out the NetAlert website here.

But keep in mind, while these tools are worthwhile, no program is perfect. There is always the risk that something inappropriate could slip through and these programs do not necessarily protect children from all dangerous activities.

The best way that you can protect your children on-line is by staying in touch with what they are doing.

Things You Can Do

As parents and carers you can minimise the risks and dangers of your child’s Internet usage by taking an active role in your child’s on-line activity.

Become computer literate. If you don’t know much about the Internet, ask your child to help you and use this time to begin talking with your child.
Talk to your children about your concerns. Keep an open communication line and let your children know that they can talk to you about any concerns they may have or unsafe situations they may experience.
Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses (chatrooms, instant messenger provider etc).
Set reasonable rules around computer usage (see below for examples). It is a good idea to develop these in conjunction with your child. Sit down and discuss the potential risks and what everyone can do to minimise these. Post the rules alongside your computer as a reminder and remember to monitor your child’s compliance.
Check out blocking and filtering tools that can control what your children see and do on-line. NetAlert has a comprehensive outline of the various tools available and how you can attain them Place the computer in a family room where the screen is visible to all. It is a much safer option to have the computer in a common area rather than individual bedrooms. This will allow you to watch and monitor your child.
Bookmark your child’s favourite websites and websites that may be of interest to them, so they can find information easily.

Importantly, take your child seriously if they report anything unsafe on the Internet and forward your concerns on. These can be sent to your Internet Service Provider as well as to the relevant authority listed on this website. One of the most proactive steps you can take in protecting your child on the Internet is to sit down with them and come up with your family’s on-line safety rules. As important as defining the rules is, this process also opens up a communication line between you and your child to discuss concerns and unsafe situations.

Rules may include, for example:

I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission.
I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the service provider.
I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
I will not give out my Internet password to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.
I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt our computer or jeopardise my family’s privacy
I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law
I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.