Cybersafety

The issue of Cybersafety was addressed in the 2007 School Play - Rhyme and Reason 

A very useful link is here - the Federal Government's Sybersmart kids site.

Some Guidance for Parents & Carers

The following notes are adapted from "Internet Safety for Teachers, Parents and Caregivers", by Senior Constable Susan McLean, Victoria Police, 2007

Where to put the computer

• Put the computer in a common area of the house, not in the bedroom.
• Parental monitoring is vital – walk past regularly and see what your child is doing, no matter their age

Computer setup

• Consider installing an internet filter
• Set Google search preferences to "moderate", at least
• Record your computer’s IP address somewhere

Good Computer Behaviours

• Set house rules for computer use about what can be put on personal websites, what can be said about others on MySpace/Facebook, or what information can be shared with others
• Spend time online together (eg researching the next family holiday)
• Model constructive computer use for children in the house.

Some sample house rules

• Hours of use are …
• No inappropriate (sexual or violent content) sites.
• Exit sites immediately that the family would not be comfortable with
• No aimless “googling” – all computer use should have a purpose
• No harassment or bullying of other people, or abusive language
• No exchange of personal information on the web
• MySpace/Facebook settings must be set to private (so other users must be invited by your child to share information)
• MSN (instant messaging) contacts must be people your child knows in real life
• If there is a problem, our family talks about it.

Don’t

• Don't respond to rude or harassing emails (keep a record in case of further investigation)
• Don't allow very young children to use the computer unsupervised

Do

• Do block senders on MSN (instant messaging) who send harassing emails
• Do teach children that the internet is not always reliable

As a parent, be aware

• Young people often don’t have refined expression skills when typing. The intent of a message can therefore be easily misunderstood. Don’t allow MSN or email to replace human contact.
• Three quarters of children will not tell a parent/teacher if bullied or harassed online, for fear of loosing their internet access!
• If you find inappropriate content about your/any child on a website contact the ISP and/or the Police.
• You need to learn something about computers – especially your child’s favourite sites, and some of the lingo
• You can start a new email account with ease if too many unwanted people know the old one.

Useful Websites

www.cybersmartkids.com.au

www.netalert.com.au