Anti-Bullying Week (14th-18th November)
1 – Keep track of their time online
The use of devices to entertain and inform children is becoming increasingly common and hard to avoid, especially given the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on daily life and learning. For example, limit screen time to one hour a day for 2-5 year-olds to avoid the likelihood of behavioural problems and irregular sleep patterns.
2 – Set rules and boundaries
Your kids may not have personal mobile phones yet, so the use of family devices such as ipads is quite common. If the online source is used by all the family, make sure you are sharing it fairly and have agreed times, monitoring screen time, as well as utilising tools to monitor and manage usage.
3 – Manage parental and privacy controls
It is vital that you log out of your own online accounts when letting the kids loose online. Furthermore, if any concerns arise about what your kids may be accessing, then check the privacy settings on websites/social media and adjust parental controls where necessary.
4 – Be open to talk about online safety with them
Some topics can be taboo, but it is vital to build these conversations little and often. Enquire as to what your kids watch/browse online and who their online friends are and try and inform yourself by asking other parents their approach. However you choose to broach these conversations, make sure to share these rules with other caregivers and family members.
5 – Make sure you know who their online friends are
The age in which some children take to social media is getting ever younger, and it is important that you make your kids aware of the dangers of strangers online through messages, games, and social networking. Make clear who they can add or talk to and show them how they can act to block or report someone.
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