Barnardo’s is supporting a campaign in the Caerphilly county borough informing parents and carers on how children can remain safe while using the internet.
A special ‘Techno Safe’ guide has been distributed to public venues throughout the area and is part of a campaign by the Caerphilly Safeguarding Children Board to raise awareness of the dangers that technology can pose to young people. Barnardo’s Cymru is a member of the Board.
Albert Heaney, CCBC Corporate Director – Social Services and Chair of the Safeguarding Children Board said, “Children of all ages are using the web to play games, download music, help their homework and to keep connected with friends. The internet has many benefits; however there are also some risks that parents need to be aware of. Dangers such as cyber bullying, being exposed to indecent images or contact with inappropriate people are just some of the issues we need to protect children from.”
“Children and young people are not always aware of the danger of sharing information about themselves with others for example. There are a few simple steps that can be taken to help minimise these risks while making sure your child still experiences the benefits of the internet.”
The leaflet about technology safety is available from CCBC council offices, libraries, GP surgeries across the county borough.
Smart Rules for parents and carers of children that use computers: –
- Make sure you discuss the hidden dangers with your children and make sure that they know they can tell you about anything that happens on the Internet or other technology that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
- Don’t share any personal information over the Internet that could be used to identify you or your children and make sure your children don’t either. This includes full name, address, date of birth, telephone numbers and name of school for example. Some people use nicknames when they are online and some people have separate online accounts to ensure that they cannot be identified. Also make sure that you use different passwords for each programme.
- You and your children should keep your Facebook/My Space/Bebo page private in order to prevent dangerous people from accessing it. Also remember not to add any personal information to your profiles.
- Take care about the photographs you and your children add to these pages as they can be accessed and altered by dangerous people
- Advise your children not to accept anyone as a friend that they do not already know personally.
- NEVER meet up with strangers you may have met online.
- Make sure that children stay in the public space of a chat room and do not enter into private conversations.
- Keep the computer in a shared family space so that you can be sure it is being used safely.
- Install a firewall and other anti virus software on your computer.
- Install parental controls and privacy settings on your software (most packages will have a step by step guide that helps you do this.
Childnet has a number of useful fact sheets for young people and parents including advice on firewalls, anti virus software, chat rooms, mobile phones, and the internet.
