From the Deputy Head of Junior School – Wellbeing – Cyber Safety and Social Media

No matter how young our children are, they are never too young to learn about good digital citizenship. Too often children have access to devices and use them in ways that we, as parents, are not aware. Young people today are often much more tech savvy than their parents. The issue of setting up rules around device use and supervising our children online is a serious one.

I know, from talking to parents, that device use is a concern in our community. Understandably, parents find it difficult to navigate what “everyone else” is allowed to do and what you, as parents, feel comfortable allowing your child to access.

I came across an article by Michelle Mitchell titled Setting up Social Media Safely: A Crash Course for Parents of Tween girls, which I think is worth a read.

At school your daughters receive cyber safety education in Library lessons. Jody Gilroy ensures the girls are made aware of keeping safe and being good digital citizens online. We are also very clear with parents and the girls that social media has recommended ages for using the sites and this is for a very good reason. So many issues we deal with, at school, involve the inappropriate use of social media because young people do not understand the ramifications of how they use these sites.

Michelle Mitchell gives some thoughts to consider when your children have access to devices, but especially when considering giving them a mobile phone and access to the internet. She says to consider not only when to buy a phone but how young people are allowed on social media.

As a brief overview some things she says to consider are:

• Never give a device as a gift
• Have clear usage agreements
• Insist on transparency
• Talk openly about issues your daughter may face online
• Expect the best and prepare for the worst

At the end of the article Michelle also gives several names of cyber experts families can access. She recommends you follow some on social for regular, bite sized information on trending platforms and safety issues. And don’t forget the eSafety Commissioner who provide a wide range of support for parents including technology agreements.

Click this link for the article.

– Joanne Sharpe
Deputy Head of Junior School – Wellbeing