Some Key Advice for Parents:

• Create a culture of sharing at home so it becomes just part of home life that parents are interested in what their children are doing on the computer/internet.
• Keep the computer in a family room.
• Monitor your children's use of the Internet on their devices - especially their conduct on social media (see advice from NSPCC on the right)
• If children wouldn’t normally do it in the real world then it’s not acceptable in the virtual world either.
• Put time restrictions on children’s computer/internet use.
• Install the Safety Dolphin to home computers.
• Set preferences to Google Strict Search for Google Images.
• Any webcams should only be attached to a computer in a family room.
• A friend online is not the same as a friend in real life.
• Take an interest in your children’s online friends, just as you would do with their friends in real life.
• Internet Safety is about behaviour and not ICT, just as Road Safety is about behaviour around roads and not about the traffic which drives on them.
• Don’t go home and unplug the internet! Remember the internet is a brilliant resource but it does reflect the best and worst of human nature. We cannot eliminate every risk to children but we can minimise the risks to an extent that children remain as safe as possible – again very similar to road safety.