Parents are naturally concerned about the potential risks of technology.  A one-to-one device program offers students a great opportunity to learn about cyber safety.

Below are some cyber safety tips and advice for parents.

We recommend that parent's download the Beacon app from Telethon Kids to learn more about cyber safety. It includes regularly updated information about topics like screen time, social media, only safety and devices.

Online Bullying

Online bullying is the use of technology to cause social or psychological harm to another person. It is repeated, involves an imbalance of power and involves behaviour that causes harm.

Atwell Primary School takes online bullying seriously and all incidents of bullying should be reported to the school.

The school's Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students details Atwell Primary  School's approach to online bullying.

Content

Children are poor decision makers when choosing content and need help. Allowing them to watch Youtube unsupervised or have unfettered access to the App store invites problems of exposure to inappropriate content.

Help them to choose content that:

• encourages creativity

• encourages problem-solving

• helps develop communication skills

• helps develop social skills

• is age appropriate

• does not store or transmit personal information

Most importantly be aware of what your children are doing with their devices by only using them in shared spaces.

Games

Your child will want to play games on their iPad. Whether or not you allow this is your decision. There are benefits to playing the right kinds of games including:

• improved hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills;

• improved problem-solving, strategy and planning, decision-making and logic skills;

• greater ability to recognise and understand visual information;

• development social and communication skills; and    

• encouraging positive messages about gender and diversity.

Gaming becomes a problem when it takes over aspects of children's lives and prevents them from doing other things. Make an agreement with your child about the type of games, frequency of play and length of play and stick to it.

Unwanted Contact

Children below the age of 13 are not allowed to have social media accounts and the policy of these sites makes this clear. Services such as Instagram and Tik Tok expose children to the risk of contact by people who wish to harm them. This applies equally to games where chat is allowed such as Fortnite. It is recommended that if students play these games that chat features are turned off.

Unwanted contact includes:

• being asked inappropriate or personal questions by someone you don’t know

• being sent offensive, confronting or obscene content

• being asked to send intimate pictures or do things online that make you feel uncomfortable.

To reduce risk:

• Talk to your kids.

• Only allow screen time in common areas

• Change privacy settings on apps and games and check that they only friend people they know in real life

• If you allow your child to join social networks sign up too and follow them

• Do not allow your children to use social networking sites until they are 13 years old

Upsetting Content

Children have the potential to encounter inappropriate content online such as:

• pornography

• real or simulated violence

• things that are designed to shock or scare

• harmful user-generated content, like sites about drug use, self-harm, suicide or negative body image.

While, at school, we employ web filtering, students have the potential to encounter this type of content in the home.

Teach your children that if they encounter upsetting content online they should close their app and tell you. Content that is offensive or illegal should be reported to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

If you are particularly concerned you may choose to use web filtering at home such as Disney Circle or Koala Safe.

A good starting point is to use OpenDNS Family Shield which is free and to turn on Google Safe Search.

Another good idea is to turn on the Parental Controls of your child's iPad which allows you to block inappropriate content and limit websites. There is a separate section of this support site that covers this in detail, but visit Apple Support for more information.