Internet Safety Guides for Parents

Our young people have been born into the ‘digital age’ and use computers, mobile phones, games consoles and tablets as part of their everyday lives.

The internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children's use of technology can be a challenge, especially if you feel that your children may have better technical skills than you do. However, children and young people still need support and guidance when it comes to managing their lives online and using the internet positively and safely.

At Scoil Naomh Pádraig we know that it is important to teach pupils about the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help them to navigate the online world safely and confidently regardless of the device, platform or app. Children in every Year group take part in specific lessons regarding this and in assemblies at certain times during the school year

Keeping our children safe in this fast moving, Internet can be very challenging. Please see below a number of links to parent guides to some of the most popular online platforms that your children might be using.

Here are some useful “tips” to keep young people safe:

• Put the computer in a family room and not a bedroom, so that you can supervise what your child is accessing online and let children know that you are there to give advice and support

• Agree and manage the amount of time your child spends online and in front of a screen; mobile phones, games consoles and other devices often have internet access—check sites are age-appropriate and bookmark child friendly sites or search engines for your child to use

• Change privacy settings

• Let your child know they can come to you if they encounter anything they are unhappy about

• Spend some time on the website or app yourself, get used to how they work and the kind of content that your child will be accessing

• Monitor viewing habits

The following website provides parents and guardians with a wealth of information on internet safety and usage, limiting screen time and learning how to monitor what our children are doing and who they are contacting online.

WEBWISE.ie

Webwise is the go-to website for information on Internet Safety for parents, guardians and teachers.  https://www.webwise.ie/

The following links will provide:

General advice on internet safety – https://www.webwise.ie/category/parents/advice/

Explanations of the most recent apps – https://www.webwise.ie/category/parents/explainers/

Some other useful links are:

How long children should spend online – https://www.webwise.ie/parents/screen-time-advice-for-parents/

Dealing with Cyberbullying – https://www.webwise.ie/parents/cyberbullying-advice/

Social Networking – https://www.webwise.ie/parents/advice/social-networking-tips/

Live Streaming – https://www.webwise.ie/parents/explained-live-streaming/

Snapchat – https://www.webwise.ie/parents/snapchat-safety/