Our digital citizenship approach at Sherwood Primary is designed not only to protect our students but to teach our students what to do when things go wrong. We can protect them with filter systems and child-friendly streaming but when they are out in the real world, away from school, exploring the Internet, these things are not always in place.

Netsafe, New Zealand’s independent, online safety organisation, is always trying to help parents and whanau navigate through 21st Century online challenges. Netsafe give some tips and guidelines on how you can help your child at home. 

It can be difficult to know where to start when thinking about keeping your children safe online. We’ve put these steps together as we know that early conversations about ways to stay safe and what you’d do if something went wrong is one of the best ways to navigate online challenges.

1. FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY KNOW ALREADY

The best place to start the conversation is by figuring out what your child knows already. Talk to them about issues they’ve seen happen to friends or at school and use this as a basis for your discussions with them. Ask them what advice they would give to their friend if they ran into trouble online as this can be a good way to gauge their understanding. Use these discussions as the starting point for the plan you develop together.

2. LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU WILL SUPPORT THEM NO MATTER WHAT

Research shows that many young people feel they would rather speak to a friend than a parent or other trusted adult for fear of being judged. It’s important to let them know that they can talk to you about anything and that you will be there to support them no matter what.

3. TALK ABOUT WHO THEY CAN REACH OUT TO IF THEY NEED HELP

If something does go wrong online it’s important that your child speaks to someone about it. Discuss who might be appropriate for them to speak to if they need help. This could be you, a close friend, a trusted family member, a teacher or a support service such as Netsafe.

It’s also a good idea to talk about who they would talk to if they didn’t feel comfortable talking to you, that way you know whatever goes wrong they know who they can go to for help and support.

4. DISCUSS WAYS TO REPORT OR REMOVE HARMFUL CONTENT

Most social media sites have a ‘report’ function to allow people to report content that is in violation of their terms of service. Make sure your child knows how to block someone, report content and how to use their privacy settings.

If you or your child need help removing harmful content online you can contact Netsafe for help. We can offer help for all situations – big or small.

In some cases online content may violate the Harmful Digital Communications Act. If you think a digital communication is in violation of the act contact Netsafe.

5. HAVE EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS ON HAND IN CASE YOU NEED IT

As a parent it can be hard to think about things going very wrong for your child online. In case of an urgent situation it’s worth having an understanding of what services are available and when you should contact them just in case. We’ve put together a list of services you can turn to if you or your child need help.

Police – Call 111.
If your child is in risk of imminent danger or a crime is being committed contact 111 immediately for help.

Netsafe – Call 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723), email help@netsafe.org.nz or report online