GENERAL TIPS
- Discover the internet together
- Agree with your child on rules for internet use
- Know your child’s internet use
- Encourage respect for others
- Keep computer/laptop in a shared room in the house
PERSONAL INFORMATION: SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES eg FACEBOOK
- Your child should be careful about the personal information and photographs they post online – anyone can use it.
- Privacy is a difficult idea for young people to understand
- No address or phone number
- Go ‘Private’. Go to ‘Edit Profile’ will limit the number of ‘hits’ their page gets
- Password: mixture of letters and numbers
- Encourage your children to check what their friends are posting about them
- Do not post anything embarrassing
- Always log out/sign out
CODES FREQUENTLY USED
- pos – parent over shoulder
- lmirl – let’s meet in real life
- jj – just joking
- kiss – keep it simple, stupid
- f2f – face to face
- ilu – I love you
PREDATORS ON LINE
- “Friends” are not always friends
- Ideally your child should know anyone that they accept/add as a friend
- Tell your child to trust their instincts
- Individuals can lie about their age, interests etc. to gain a child’s trust
- NEVER arrange to meet up without permission
EXAMPLES OF CYBER-BULLYING
- Bullying on-line, by mobile phones and on devices
- Abusive messages
- Nasty comments posted on someone’s profile
- Fake profiles
- Exclusion
- Personal humiliation
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
- Do not reply to the messages
- Encourage child to tell someone they trust
- Keep the messages – will be useful as evidence
- Block the sender
- Report abuse to network sites/phone operators
- Illegal activity can be reported to gardai