It’s never too early to teach your child how to safely navigate technology and the online world. We have developed and curated, all in one spot, everything safety when it comes to your child being present online.
You will see advice from the eSafety Commissioner of Australia (esafety.gov.au), as well as up-to-date advice for parents and carers, with simple steps to help children make positive choices and stay safe online.
Thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors through our Kids Protect Team, as well as the support of partners such as Queensland Health, we’re able to take our programs to schools across Queensland, reaching even the most remote and disadvantaged communities where health and safety education is often needed most.
We hope you find these resources useful.
How do you determine if your child is ready to join a social media platform? We have compiled these questions for you:
If you feel confident in your child’s ability to manage their social media profile, behaviour and privacy, they may be ready to begin exploring this medium.
The age and maturity of your child will help you to determine the appropriate amount of screen time for your family. Factors such as homework or school requirements, personal attitudes and family device use rules will all serve to influence your decisions regarding screen time.
Parents often worry that their kids are spending too much time online. We know that excessive screen time can impact on sleep, exercise and interpersonal relationships with friends and family. If your child is constantly connected to their device, they could be missing out on their daily dose of exercise to maintain good physical and mental health. If they are choosing their device over time with friends when they visit or ignoring family members in favour of online activities during mealtimes or other events, it may be time to switch off.
Aim for a healthy balance by encouraging your child to play outdoors, read or join in other activities. Studies show that time offline has a positive impact on mental and physical wellbeing.
When someone uses technology and digital platforms to insult, hurt or humiliate another person or group it constitutes online bullying or cyberbullying. Unfortunately, one in five children experiences cyberbullying each year.
Cyberbullying can take many forms including nasty or abusive text messages and sharing hurtful images or videos online via social media platforms or digital apps.
Watch out for these signs that could mean your child is being cyberbullied: cyberbullied. These include:
Keeping the lines of communication open with your child is the key to getting on top of cyberbullying. Many children avoid telling their parents because they worry it will make the situation worse for them or fear their device will be confiscated.
Here are some steps you can take to address the issue:
While the internet offers many positive opportunities for children, parents should be aware of the darker aspects of technology.
Unwanted contact is any message received that makes your child feel uncomfortable or unsafe. These messages could be sent by someone your child knows, or originate from strangers, and could include inappropriate messages, online ‘grooming’ and sexualised messaging.
Grooming is the process by which pedophiles and other predators build a relationship with a child in order to abuse them. Grooming is not only used on the child, it may also be used on parents and others in the child’s immediate environment to gain access to the child. Building trust, isolating the child, using intimidation, and having rules of secrecy are all ways in which predators seek to gain influence over vulnerable children.
Be involved. Taking an active role in your child’s digital activities can increase your child’s safety. Educate yourself about the apps and sites they use regularly and make the most of privacy and parental controls available at both the device and app level. It is important to report suspicious or concerning online behaviour to the eSafety Commissioner or the police. If your child is in immediate danger, call Triple-0.
If you or your child has a negative experience online, you can report it to the eSafety Commissioner.
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner investigates and deals with three types of abuse: cyberbullying, image-based abuse and child sexual abuse material.
To report online abuse, visit: esafety.gov.au/report. The eSafety Commissioner also provides information about how they investigate and act on reports received.
For the latest list of popular apps, along with recommended age of use and advice go to the parent section of the eSafety website – esafety.gov.au
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
kidshelpline.com.au Kids Helpline offers a free and confidential 24-hour online and phone-based counselling service to children and young people.
Parentline (Qld) – 1300 30 1300
Parentline offers counselling, support and information for parents. Available in each state, Parentline also offers a referral service for additional support in your local area. Opening hours vary from state to state.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger or at risk of harm, call Triple-0.
Commonsensemedia.org is a great resource for parents. It provides honest and balanced reviews and recommendations for age-appropriate games, apps and other media sources.
