The risks of children being online: how can parents make it safer
With an ONS survey on children’s online behaviour revealing that almost 9 in 10 children (89%) aged 10 to 15 years said they went online every day1, there’s never been a more important time to protect children from the dangers that come with being on the internet. The survey also revealed that around one in six children (17%) spoke with someone they had never met before (equivalent to 682,000).
The impacts of the pandemic are making it likely that children now spend more time online than ever before and it’s likely that what they spend their time doing have changed. For example, there has been an increased reliance on access to the internet for schooling and communicating with friends and family.
The proportion of children who have their own smartphones or tablets increases with age. Until the age of 10, children are more likely to own tablets, however between the ages of nine and 10, smartphone ownership doubles from 23% to 50%2 – representing an important milestone in children’s digital independence as they prepare to transition to secondary school. By the age of 15, almost all children own their own smartphones.
Tutoring company, Tutor Doctor, believe parents and guardians need to be aware of how they can keep their children safe on the internet. Tutor Doctor’s Education Experience Specialist, Becky Ward, gives her expert top three tips on how to do so:
1. Stay aware of what children are looking at – talk openly with your child about online activity and know what sites they are on. Sit with them when they are online and familiarise yourself with the content.
2. Monitor their usage time – keep screens and devices where you can see them and regulate the amount of time kids are online outside of school requirements.
3. Remain vigilant – know who your children’s friends are and apply parental controls where possible.
Social media guide for parents – how to safeguard your children on different platforms
Minimum age: 13
Facebook’s privacy settings let your child control who sees their posts and timeline. Click or tap the padlock icon at the top of any page and this takes you to Privacy Shortcuts in the drop-down menu for further instructions. On the mobile app you will find it under More at the bottom of the screen.
Minimum age: 13
To set Instagram posts to private, your child should go to their profiles by tapping the person icon. Then tap the gear icon (iOS) or three dots icon (Android) and turn on the Private Account setting. Your child can also block and remove followers by tapping their username, then the three dots icon and selecting Block User.
Snapchat
Minimum age: 13
Snapchat has two privacy settings, one for who can send your child Snaps and another for who can view their Stories. To change these settings, tap the gear icon in the top right of the Profile screen to access Settings. To change who can send your child snapchats, within Settings tap Send Me Snaps and choose from Everyone or My Friends. To change who can view stories within settings, tap view my story and select either Everyone, My Friends or Custom. Any changes will be saved when you press the back button.
Minimum age: not specific, but in their privacy policy it says their services are not directed to people under 13
Your child can choose to protect their tweets, so they are only visible to the Twitter followers they have approved. On the web, find Settings under your small profile picture in the top right. Go to Security Privacy settings, scroll down to the Tweet privacy section, tick the box next to Protect my Tweets and click the blue Save button.
YouTube
Minimum age: 13 for an account, no minimum to watch videos
YouTube has a Restricted Mode if you’re worried about your child watching inappropriate content. From your computer or tablet, click the drop-down menu at the bottom of any page on YouTube and select On.
Minimum age: As of 2018, WhatsApp’s minimum age of use is 16 years old
WhatsApp’s default privacy setting allows any other users to view your profile photo, status and when you were last using the app. Talk to your child about privacy settings and ask them to adjust to My Contacts if they have set them to Everyone. Privacy settings are accessed here: WhatsApp > Settings > Account > Privacy. WhatsApp also shows others your live location - you can turn this off under Settings > Privacy within the app.
TikTok
Minimum age: 13
TikTok provides users (or their parents) the ability to filter out more mature content by enabling Restricted Mode. TikTok also allows users or their parents to limit the number of consecutive times you can use the account. To go beyond that time, the user or parent must enter the passcode. To set up Restricted Mode or establish screen time limits, a parent needs to go into the app and enter a code so that only the parent can change it out of Restricted Mode or allow for use beyond designated screen time. Parents just need to follow these steps: Tap Me (bottom right corner) > Tap three dots (top right corner) > Tap Digital Wellbeing > Tag Restricted Mode > or Screen Time Management. Restricted Mode is either on or off. Screen Time Management lets you set a time limit between 40 and 120 minutes. With the passcode, you can go back and remove or modify these settings.
Parents should also get to know the social media platforms themselves and understand what they are mainly used for. It is advisable for parents to follow their children on any social media so they can see what they are exposed to and apply parental controls where possible. Ensure children never reply to a message or email from a stranger or upload any photos of their home and teach them to stay in control of their online presence, by only sharing with people they know in real life.
One of the best things you can do as a parent is lead by example and always try and model the kind of positive behaviour you would like your children to use. If your children see you being cautious and respectable online, they are more likely to mimic you and follow in your footsteps. Ultimately, giving your children the skills and knowledge, they need to make the most of the internet, while avoiding its dangers, is extremely important for any modern-day family.
To find out more please visit https://www.tutordoctor.co.uk/
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