A Positive Approach to Online Safety
Online safety for children is an important topic and should be addressed and approached with a positive and welcoming mindset. Digital technologies are creating the world around us and we must all take responsibility to educate and help children safely navigate the digital space.
If we do this successfully, our children will be free to learn and experience more than many of us could ever have imagined.
Open, Honest Conversation
Keeping children safe online is all about openness and honesty. Conversations about online safety should engage young people on the topics of interest to them, whether that may be social media, gaming, chatting, or browsing and learning, as well as giving support, guidance and advice on how to behave and report content if needed.
If you can focus on these three key principles, you will find your conversations about online safety are well-received and have a lasting effect.
Trust
Make sure your children or the young people you are speaking with feel trusted. If you do not, you will quickly find any conversations you have about being online become defensive and protective, creating an environment of privacy, uncertainty, and silence.
Positivity
The internet is incredible. Jaw-droppingly, mind-blowingly, world-changingly amazing. The potential it holds is unfathomable and it can enrich our lives in ways that were never possible for humankind before 1990. The benefits of being online far outweigh the risks.
Empowerment
By giving young people the tools and strategies to navigate their online experience safely, you will empower them to achieve and discover more. When we practice online safety, we unlock great potential in ourselves and the people with whom we interact.
Safer Internet Day
A great way to get involved and start talking to children about online safety is Safer Internet Day! It's in February each year.
