Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership

The internet has changed all lives, particularly for our children. For parents and carers the internet has opened up a whole new world of things to be aware of.

You might be struggling to keep up with the things your child is doing online and wondering if what they are doing is safe. It is important that you try to understand what they are doing online and try to discover who they are talking to.

As a parent or carer, you need to be aware of issues such as sexting, online misrepresentation and cyberbullying.

Sexting is when people share sexual images via text message. You can discover more through Childline and the NSPCC

Online misrepresentation is when someone pretends to be someone else to befriend people online. Often, people use pictures of people that are younger than themselves or of the opposite sex on social media accounts and chat rooms. You can find out more about online grooming here

This YouTube video presents a message to parents about knowing who your child is talking to online

Cyberbullying takes place online, on social networking websites or through mobile phones. It can be very persistent and is a growing problem. You can find out more from the NSPCC website

Key points for online safety:

• Talk to your child about what they’re up to online.
• Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
• Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online.

Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily.

• Set boundaries for the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online.
• Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space.
• Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones.

For more information and advice about keeping children safe online you can check out the CEOP website or the UK Safer Internet Centre.