Online safety tips for children

To help you keep your child safe online, Carolyn Holgate, GM of MWEB Connect, shares a few tips.

Pre-teen (below the age of 12) browsing tips:

• Encourage your children to keep their personal information private.
  
• Don't give your children free reign. Limit the number of hours they spend online by allocating a set time when they can browse the web and social networks.
  
• Don't allow your pre-teen to have a social profile unless you have access to all usernames and passwords. Remember that Facebook has a minimum age requirement of 13 should you wish to have a profile.
  
• Communicate the dangers of the internet with your children. Explain the risks of meeting strangers who have made contact online and encourage open communication, making them feel comfortable enough to come to you with any concerns they may have.
  
• Do insist that all downloads and software installations be cleared with you first so as to avoid your personal information being hacked or put at risk.
  
• Ensure that your children do not send photos or give out address details about themselves or the family to anyone, or post such information on any online forum.

Teen (between 12 and 17) browsing tips:

• Do explain online etiquette and the unspoken rules of the internet to your teens.
  
• Don't allow your teens to sign up to social networks without your permission.
  
• Do monitor your teens' online activities by making yourself aware of what social networks they are using. Do set up privacy controls on social network sites to limit contact with unknown users and ensure that screen names don't reveal too much about your teens.

Banish bullying

With increasing incidents of cyber bullying, parents need to be more vigilant about monitoring their children's internet activity, ensuring that they only use moderated chat rooms and that the parental control software is on at all times. To protect your children against cyber bullies and ensure that they do not become perpetrators themselves, make sure that you communicate the following rules of online behaviour to them:

• Never send emails, instant or text messages to others disguising yourself as another person.
  
• Never send rude, harassing or threatening messages to others.
  
• Never post embarrassing or inappropriate pictures or images of others on websites or social media.
  
• Always inform a parent or teacher about threats or bullying.