Tips to keep your children safe online
Educate your children to use the internet wisely. E
IN a world which is getting smaller, and even more dangerous due to social media and the big dark web, it is important for parents to safeguard their children and keep them informed about the dangers of the web, social media and chat rooms.
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Founding member of SAMSOSA (South African Male Survivors Of Sexual Abuse), Rees Mann, has compiled tips to keep children safe online:
1: When buying a computer, install software that can filter out inappropriate material and that allows you to monitor what your children are doing;
2: Place the computer where you can always see the screen;
3: Encourage offline activity – playing with friends, family activities and hobbies;
4: If they are signing up for email, chats or on a website, get them to use a nickname and make sure that it is one that does not identify their year/date of birth, or have sexual connotations;
5: Teach them not to give out personal information about themselves, family or friends;
6: Explain that online ‘friends’ are not the same as friends they have met face to face;
7: Be open – take an interest in their internet use and talk to them about what they’ve seen;
8: Educate your children to use the internet wisely. Encourage them to question whether the information they are receiving from people is true;
9: Let them know that they can tell you if they become uncomfortable with anything that happens on the internet, and acknowledge that it may be difficult for them to do this;
10: Ensure that your children understand the dangers of physically meeting someone they have met online and that even if that person says they are a man, woman or child, they may not be – and NEVER, ever to go on their own to meet such a person.
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