How to remain safe online.
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Unlike us, our children are growing up in an environment where exposure to the online environment is part of their daily lives.
There are many advantages to this including:
There are also disadvantages which we should be aware of. According to cyber safety expert Susan McLean these include:
Online grooming, cyberbullying, sharing nudes and sexting, unsupervised time online and subsequent ignorance of what young people are accessing, problematic use including gaming issues. The esafety commissioner website also adds online pornography to this list.
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Online grooming
Online Grooming is defined as “actions deliberately undertaken with the aim of befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child, in order to lower the child’s inhibitions in preparation for sexual activity with the child”. – INHOPE.org
Signs that your child is being groomed
(Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
What should you do if you suspect your child is being groomed online
If you are at all concerned about the possibility of your child being a victim please contact your local Police Station for advice and assistance. If you believe your or any child is in immediate danger please phone 000.
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a way of delivering covert psychological bullying. It uses information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour, by an individual or group that is intended to harm others. – Bill Belsey 2007
Forms of Cyberbullying can include:-
(Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Cyberbullying
As part of the education program at school, students have been explicitly taught about the impact of cyberbullying on others.
Students are aware of who they can go to at school if they are worried or upset by the actions of others online.
Our SOLE framework highlights the following:
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
What to do if my child or someone I know is being cyberbullied?
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
What to do if my child or someone I know is being cyberbullied?
You don’t have to put up with it
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Sexting
Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between mobile phones, but can include internet applications such as email, or social networking sites.
What many young people and their parents often don’t know is that sexting can have serious consequences and lead to bullying, public humiliation and even sexual assault. In most cases involving people under the age of 18 year it is illegal.
You could be charged with a criminal offence if:
You take a nude, semi-nude, or sexually explicit photo of a person under the age of 18, even if they agree to the photo being taken or you take the photo of yourself.
You take a photo or a video of a person under the age of 18 involved in sexual activity or posing in an indecent sexual manner, even if it is of yourself.
You are found to have this kind of photo or video on your phone or another device eg: PC, iPod
You forward this kind of photo or video onto others.
(Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
EMILY’S STORY
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Safety tips for parents
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Unsupervised time online
According to Susan McLean:
“The use of computers, laptops or any internet enabled devices (iPad, phone, iPod, Xbox) SHOULD be in a common area of the house NOT IN THE BEDROOM! Need an alarm – buy a clock radio!” (Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Most of the inappropriate online conduct which occurs online, occurs at home without parental knowledge…. The college endorses the advice of Susan McLean and strongly recommends that parents enforce boundaries for devices.
Dolly’s Law
The 14-year-old Northern Territory teen took her own life in January after persistent bullying and abuse, including cyberbullying.
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Online access at home
Parental monitoring is vital – walk past and see what your child is doing, who they are talking to and what sites they are on….be aware if their mood changes. This is NOT invading their privacy at all…it is parenting in the digital space.
Make sure there is no response to rude or harassing emails. (keep a record in case of further investigation)
Advise your student/child to immediately exit any site that makes them feel uncomfortable or worried. Basic protective behaviour principles apply.
If the harassment continues….the current email account can be deleted and a new one started. The new email address should only be given to a selected few.
If receiving harassing messages on social media – have the sender blocked & report to the site.
If you have found inappropriate content about your child or one in your care on a website or are informed about this situation please contact the ISP and or Police or advise the parent to do so ASAP
.(Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Have a family internet contract and set house rules about what information your child can put onto websites or share with others.
Be aware the majority of children WILL NOT tell a parent/teacher if bullied or harassed online for fear that they will lose internet access!!
Make sure that your children understand that they will not get in trouble if they tell you about a problem.
Parents must learn about the internet with their child – get students to share their knowledge of the internet with their parents in a fun environment
Spend time online with children, just as you would with many other activities such as sport, board games and walking the dog – learn and explore together
Install filters and other monitoring/blocking software to minimise dangers. This is already done in schools but advise parents to have up to date filtering software installed at home.
Know the sites they are accessing to ensure suitability. Filters CAN sometimes fail to protect and can be bypassed by a ‘tech savvy’ child.
ABSOLUTELY NO EXCHANGE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION!
(Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Children Under 13 ARE NOT ALLOWED on Facebook, Instagram, Kik, SnapChat, iTunes and many more. Don’t support your child to break the rules & they won’t be the only one without these accounts. Learn to say NO!
Social Networking Profiles such as MySpace SHOULD BE SET TO PRIVATE. Use all the security settings available to make the site as safe as possible.
Friends on social networking sites should be people that your child knows in real life. This is one way to reduce possible risks. Anyone can be anyone online.
Learn the lingo so that you can decipher some of the content if required. Advise parents to do the same.
Teach children that information on the internet is not always reliable.
Very close supervision for young children is recommended. There should be a limit to the email correspondence/msn to be a list of friends and family that has been approved.
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Whatever your children use, you must use as well. Set up accounts on the same sites to ensure that they are suitable and the interactions appropriate. Engage with them online. This also allows you to know how these applications work.
If your child is playing online games it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that YOU know how to play the game too in case of problems. Play online games together.
Do not let young children ‘google’ aimlessly with no supervision. Children need to be taught about search engines and how they work.
(Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Problematic internet use
The Internet appears to be capable of altering the mood, motivation, concentration, and producing a dissociating and disinhibiting experience for users; for some individuals, patterns of use can transform to abuse, taking on a compulsive quality. Studies suggest that the Internet may have psychological properties that are capable of altering mood and behaviour, often with little or no awareness. Many of the daily spheres of behaviour, including work, appear to be effected by this powerful technology.
– Dr David Greenfield
Centre for Internet Behaviour USA
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Problematic Internet Use is:-
More common in adolescent males than females
Often connected to online gaming sites
Takes over their life of the young person to the exclusion of all else; school, family, eating and sleeping
Leads to many other mental and physical health issues
Needs to be addressed as a serious mental health issue and suitable treatment obtained from either your GP or through and adolescent psychologist.
Source: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/internet-safety-tips-for-parents-teachers-carers/)
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Online Pornography
Your child may discover online porn unintentionally, or they may go looking for it. Either way, you can play a role.
For young children, accidentally encountering pornographic material can be confusing or distressing. At worst it can be harmful.
Older kids and teenagers may be more curious and actively seek out pornography online. For them, the risk is that exposure to graphic, violent or misleading messages about sexual practices and gender stereotypes could give them the wrong idea about sex and intimate relationships.
Source:https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/online-pornography
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
How do kids find pornography online?
Your child may actively search for explicit content online, out of curiosity or perhaps because their friends are talking about it.
A friend or sibling (or an adult) may share inappropriate content (see also advice for parents about unwanted contact and grooming).
Your child may accidentally type the wrong word or phrase into an internet search or mistakenly click on a link to something that looks interesting but turns out to be pornographic.
They might click on links in phishing or spam emails, dodgy links and pop-ups (even on harmless websites).
Or they may also encounter pornography on free games websites for children. Some popular children’s cartoons have been hijacked with a pornographic version — which can be very distressing for a child to see.
Common issues associated with students having a personal device and how to address these….
Education about online pornography
There are some great resources that we use at school but you can also use at home. The short videos located here are great conversation starters:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/online-pornography
The above link also has some excellent tips on what to do if your child is exposed to pornography online and how you can avoid exposure.
When and how to report inappropriate/ offensive communication and content
The link to this guide provides up to date information on how to report offensive communication and content for the common applications that young people/ adults use
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide
When and how to report inappropriate/ offensive communication and content
Inappropriate offensive communication and content should be reported as soon as possible. If an application such as those on the previous page was used, report this via the links provided. If the communication involves grooming or illegal acts contact the police and if the communication occured at school report this to your child’s TA
Healthy routines for personal device use at home
It is important to establish how much time your child is using their device for homework purposes and how much time your family is prepared to allow for leisure use.
We recommend that you establish clear expectations with your child around this. When you establish this, keep in mind that it is recommended that every child spends no more than 2 hours at a screen (out of school time) per day. This recommendation comes from the Health guidelines established by the Australian government. More information can be accessed at this link.
One hour of moderate to physical activity is also recommended for children aged 5 - 17 per day.
Where the device will be used in the home - how will you supervise?
In line with the recommendation of cyber experts such as Susan McLean and those quoted on the esafety commission website, St Augustine’s college strongly recommends that Ipads should not be used unsupervised in places like bedrooms.
Before the Ipad comes home please consider where the Ipad will be used and how you will supervise its use.
Some suggestions could be that usage occurs only in shared areas of the home. You may also have rules around having the screen visible so that you can periodically check as you walk by.
Where to from this session….
Before your child’s device comes home, we would like you to discuss and have clear parameters around:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/hard-to-have-conversations
Resources used in this presentation and others you may find useful….
https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/
https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide
https://staysafeonline.org/get-involved/at-home/cyberbullying/
https://www.familyzone.com/anz/families
https://www.stevebiddulph.com/Site_1/Home.html
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/young-people/helpful-contacts-and-websites