Having an open conversation about online safety is vital for protecting children, according to paediatric psychologist Amanda Abel from leading kids-safe digital media company, TotallyAwesome.
To help keep children safer, Amanda has shared 7 Smart Safety Tips for this year’s Safer Internet Day which has the theme: "Play it safe and fair online".
"Children face a lot of online harms, from scams and cyber bullying to predators. One of the most common questions I am asked as the resident psychologist at TotallyAwesome is ‘how can we keep kids safe online?’. Most parents aren’t internet experts, but taking the right approach to conversations about online safety can significantly help reduce risks," Amanda says.
Safer Internet Day on February 8th, which the Australian government is participating in, is a global initiative involving schools, businesses, and community groups across 200 countries and territories. As a leader in safe internet use for kids, TotallyAwesome strongly supports its aim for stakeholders to come together and make a better internet.
"As a psychologist, one of my biggest concerns about kids online is their mental health. We know there are clear links between the use of social media and mental health. I always recommend parents take proactive steps to encourage their child/teen’s mental health if they are engaging on social media, to try to counteract the negative effect social media can have," Amanda says.
7 Smart Safety Tips to protect children online
1. Educate in an age-appropriate way
It’s important children know about the dangers of the internet. But when we speak to a 6-year-old we might omit some details that might scare them, whereas we might give a 12-year-old more information about the potential risks.
2. Encourage good online behaviour
Having great "offline" social skills doesn’t always translate to appropriate online social skills. Children need to know what is and isn’t friendly when they’re group-chatting, and how what they post online could be there forever.
3. Don’t reinvent the wheel
There are some great resources out there that parents can access, such as the My Device Rules book. Games like Interland are fun and can give kids a chance to generalise and apply the theoretical knowledge they’ve learned about internet safety.
4. Start with parental controls
Apps and settings such as Apple’s iPad "Screentime" can help ensure younger children are only accessing age-appropriate content. As children get older, they’ll need to learn how to manage risks for themselves, so they aren’t overwhelmed when they get free reign.
5. Teach personal data privacy
Parents tend to worry more about inappropriate content, but teaching children to keep their personal information secure is just as important. Children’s data can be stolen just like adults’ data is, leading to fraud and identity theft.
6. Have a plan, not a punishment
Children will eventually come across something online that makes them feel uncomfortable, whether that’s inappropriate content or bullying. The important thing is that they feel able to talk to you about it, rather than hide it because they’re worried about getting into trouble.
7. Same online, offline rules
The same rules for the offline world should apply to online interactions. This might include boundaries about who a child can interact with, or time limits on activities. The more time a child spends online unsupervised, the higher the risk of dangerous situations.
/ENDS
About Amanda Abel
Amanda Abel is a paediatric psychologist and founder of Northern Centre for Child Development – a multidisciplinary paediatric practice in Victoria. She is also the resident psychologist at TotallyAwesome, where she helps make the internet safer for kids. Working directly and indirectly with hundreds of clients each year, Amanda’s mission is for every child to achieve their best outcomes by equipping families, educators, corporate and health professionals with the tools they need to help kids thrive.
Amanda is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society and the Singapore Psychological Society. She is also a valued board member of the Autism Behavioural Intervention Association, a registered Circle of Security Parenting educator and a registered SOS Feeding Therapist.
Follow Amanda on LinkedIn or visit her website.
About TotallyAwesome
TotallyAwesome is APAC’s most advanced forum for kids, teens and families, and brands to safely interact across thousands of apps, games, and websites. We enable a kids-safe ecosystem with more than 300 million monthly active users across APAC. We adhere to and support international governments’ most advanced regulations protecting kids’ data privacy. We do this through the deployment of bespoke technology designed specifically to offer kids contextual and customised content through age-appropriate engagement.