PARENTING AND DIGITAL DEVICES - extracts from the iBook ‘Keeping Your Child Safe in the Online Jungle” by Shaun Brooker, Principal of Hamilton Christian School.

Maintain an ‘Open Device’ Policy

Create an expectation that devices are to be available for inspection at any time. As the parent, you will need to have access to your child’s passwords. Best not to have ‘regularly, scheduled’ inspections - make it random.

There is a Difference Between Trust and Accountability

Help your child understand that it is not because you ‘do not trust them’. This is about accountability and accountability does not exist because of an absence of trust. Accountability is all about protection! Accountability gives people the opportunity to show how well they are doing and can safeguard them in the event that they are beginning to go down a track that leads to difficulty without them even realising it.

EXAMPLE: In running a school the principal is TRUSTED to do it well. However, every year school accounts have to be audited and every few years the school inspectors visit to see how things are going: this is the ACCOUNTABILITY factor.

No History and It's HISTORY

While not completely foolproof, the browsing history on a device is a great way to monitor where a child is going on the internet. However, it is incredibly easy for anyone to clear the history on a browser. One simple rule is that if the history has been wiped OR if the device is on ‘Private Browsing‘ the device will be removed for a time (explained in detail in the book).

NB. It is possible to delete specific instances of websites. To this end, the history monitoring should not be the only mode of monitoring if you are concerned about where your child is going online.

Keeping Your Child Safe in the Online Jungle’ can be downloaded from itunes.