WHAT CAN I DO?
It is vital that you know if your child uses chat applications online, and that they understand the importance of keeping their personal information personal. If your child uses IM then it is a good idea to ask them to show you how it works - in this way you can also gauge who they have on their contact list and if there is anyone how they don't know in the real world. It is also a good idea to ask them if they know how to block someone who they no longer wish to talk to. You can also direct them to the young people's website, where they can watch films and play games on how to stay safer online.
Consider creating some family rules which you will all agree to on online use, including not giving out personal information, or talking to strangers without discussing it. Remind your children that they should never meet up with someone that they have met online without you or another adult going with them.
If you are concerned that your child may be at risk, it may be necessary to log or monitor their conversations, and this can be done though some forms of filtering software - but this should be considered carefully, since a child may feel that they have to hide more from their parents if they think they are not trusted. GetNetWise has lists of filtering and monitoring software.
If you think your child may be in touch with an adult online, make a report or call 999 if they are at immediate risk.
Here are some tips to help protect your child in social networking areas:
- Encourage them only to upload pictures that you as their parents / carer would be happy to see – anything too sexy to be passed round the dinner table should NOT make it on to the web. It's also not a good idea to post pictures which can identify the school which your child attends since this could help someone locate them.
- Tell your children not to post their phone number or email address on their homepage.
- Help your child to adjust their account settings so that only approved friends can instant message them. This won’t ruin their social life – new people can still send them friend requests and message them, they just won’t be able to pester them via Instant Messenger (IM).
- Check if your child has ticked the “no picture forwarding” option on their social networking site settings page – this will stop people sending pictures from their page around the world without their consent
- Encourage them not to give too much away in a blog. Friends can call them for the address of the latest party rather than read about it on their site.
- Ask them to show you how to use a social networking site - getting involved will empower them to share the experience with you.