We thought it was a timely to remind our whānau on how to help keep their tamariki safe online.

At Marshland we run sessions on how children can keep themselves safe online, what information they should and shouldn't share and what a digital footprint is, and how that can affect them now but as adults in the future. While we have filters and safeguards monitoring online traffic at school we cannot see or control what happens after 3 pm. Such incidents on applications limited by the school and outside of school hours are within the realm of parental and whānau responsibility. As such, we ask that you please check. 

1. Do you know what apps and programs your child is using? 

2. Have you recently checked your child's device to see what they are doing online? 

2. Are you joined to their social media accounts so you can monitor and see what is being shared?

3. Do you make sure your child is in an open area of your house and not behind closed doors while online?

4. Do you know what your child is sharing or saying online and with whom?

These are all really important questions to consider when thinking about online safety.

In 2015, the New Zealand Government introduced the "Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA)" designed to deal with serious or repeated harmful behaviour online.

What type of communication does the Act cover?

"It covers any harmful digital communications (like text, emails, or social media content) which can include racist, sexist, and religiously intolerant comments – plus those about disabilities or sexual orientation".

What are the 10 communication principles outlined in the Harmful Digital Communications Act, 2015?
Digital communication should not:

1. Disclose sensitive personal facts about an individual
2. Be threatening, intimidating, or menacing
3. Be grossly offensive to a reasonable person in the position of the affected individual
4. Be indecent or obscene
5. Be used to harass an individual
6. Make a false allegation
7. Contain a matter that is published in breach of confidence
8. Incite or encourage anyone to send a message to an individual for the purpose of causing harm to the individual
9. Incite or encourage an individual to commit suicide
10. Denigrate an individual by reason of colour, race, ethnic or national origins, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability"

Source: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/what-is-the-hdca/

In New Zealand, the social media apps listed below are not designed for children 13 years or younger, and children 13-17 years of age require parental permission. 

Please click on the most common apps below for information about being safe and reporting incidents within each app.

Snapchat guide

Facebook 

Instagram

Youtube

TikTok- If you give your child who is under the age of 13 permission to be on TikTok please note there's a section of the app for children under 13 that includes additional safety and privacy features

In all instances it is the parents' responsibility to know what their child is sharing, playing, saying, posting, and accessing online and who they are interacting with outside of school hours.

Please refer to Netsafe NZ for useful information on your role in keeping your child safe online.

Netsafe operates 7 days a week to assist you with any concerns or queries you may have.

• Email help@netsafe.org.nz
• Call toll free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)
• Online report at netsafe.org.nz/report
• Text ‘Netsafe’ to 4282

Thanks for your support

Paul Tyson

Deputy Principal - Digital Learning