Internet Safety with D:side Dave
D:side Dave was in school this morning, sharing some important messages about internet safety. The children really enjoy his sessions and always engage well. He began his session by asking children how old they should be to access many social media platforms. The age for this is 13.
A key message from Dave is that internet safety is a partnership between the child and parents. We talked about these key points:
- Followers – when we receive a new friend request, we should ask ourselves – do I know them? If the answer is ‘no’, then we should decline. It is ok to decline requests and it is ok to delete followers once they have been added. We also need to consider if people online are telling the truth and they are who they say they are. Be careful when following older children – sometimes they post things which are not suitable for younger children. When following celebrities, make sure they are verified with a ‘tick’.
- Profiles should be made ‘private’.
- Always set passwords. Make sure these passwords are shared with parents. This builds trust between child and parent.
- Think carefully when posting images. Images can not be deleted once shared. You can delete from your phone but once shared with others, it is impossible to delete – this could cause problems in the future.
- If something appears to be too good to be true, it often is.
Help at home – read through this post with your child. Check that passwords are set and shared. Encourage transparency.