With 98 per cent of young people in Ireland using the internet, Safer Internet Day 2012 is being used to urge families to get Webwise.
Safer Internet Day 2012, a global initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people, will be celebrated in Ireland on Tuesday February 7, 2012.
Organised in Ireland by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE ), the message this year is for families to ‘discover the digital world together...safely!’
The single most important thing parents can do to help keep their children safer online is to engage with them on the topic. For tips and hints on how to do this as well as some fun activities families can do together online, check out www.Webwise.ie and www.facebook.com/webwise
Internet facts:
· 98 per cent of young people in Ireland use the internet - 44 per cent are online every day
· 28 per cent access the internet through personal devices like mobile phones and gaming machines
· 52 per cent of 11 and 12-year-olds have social networking profiles
· 12 per cent of European nine to16-year-olds say they have been bothered or upset by something on the internet...
· ...however, 56 per cent of parents whose child has received nasty or hurtful messages online are not aware of this
· 36 per cent of nine to16-year-olds claim that they definitely know more about the internet than their parents
· While one in eight parents do not seem to mediate their children’s online activities, 56 per cent do take positive steps to protect their children; 44 per cent of children think that parental mediation limits what they do online.
Ten top tips to ensure your child is using the internet safely
Discover the internet together: Be the one to introduce your child to the internet. This could make it easier to share both positive and negative experiences in the future. Make a choice about whether you want to block your children from seeing certain types of content using parental controls.
Agree rules for internet use: Set ground rules for your children about how you expect them to behave online. Try to reach an agreement with your children on how long they should spend online and what types of sites and activities to visit.
Encourage your children to protect their reputation: They should be selective about what personal information and photos they post to online spaces. Once material is online it can be subject to all kinds of unauthorized use.
Talk about the risks associated with meeting online friends: Young people are making friends online but they should only physically meet these strangers in the company of an adult or others they trust.
Use parental controls: For younger children in particular you will want to find out how to set safe search filters and to ensure this is locked to the PC your child uses.
Do not be too critical of your children’s exploration of the internet: Remember, it is not always their fault if they come across inappropriate content on the web.
Games consoles are online too: All games consoles come with parental controls and most ask you if you would like to set them up from the outset. They allow you to block a game based on age ratings, disable or restrict web access, and disable voice chat.
Encourage respect for others: As in everyday life there are informal ethical rules for how to behave when relating to other people on the internet.
Know your child’s internet use: To be able to guide your child’s internet use, whether it is on a mobile phone or PC, it is important to understand how children use the internet and know what they like to do online.
Remember that the positive aspects of the internet outweigh the negative aspects. The internet is an excellent educational and recreational resource for children. Encourage your child to be Webwise and explore the internet to its full potential.
Webwise is the internet safety initiative of the Safer Internet Ireland Project. Webwise provides information and resources in four specific areas, surfing, chatting, sharing, and gaming, to teachers, parents, and students to help ensure that children and young people have positive and safe online experiences.
Webwise has also set up a Facebook presence to help parents to get involved in what their children are doing online. See more at www.facebook.com/webwise
