Safer Internet Day tips for parents

It probably hasn't escaped your notice that today (10 February) is Safer Internet Day. This is intended to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people.

Online advice site Knowthenet.org.uk -- operated by the Nominet domain registry -- has published some new research looking at the attitudes of parents to their children's use of social media and finds that whilst it has a generally good effect there's still a need for caution.

Parents are mostly positive about social media's effects, with 27 percent saying it has helped their children make new friends, 23 percent that it helped them feel more included and 18 percent that it helped them feel more confident.

There are some worries though with 24 percent saying that their child was unhappier since using social media and 31 percent that their child had been upset by something they'd seen on a site. 42 percent of parents say they don't set any time limit on their child's internet use.

In response to the findings Knowthenet has put together some handy tips for parents. These include:

• Being open with your child about social media sites and listening to any problems they may be having.


• Setting time limits on internet usage and if possible keeping smartphones and laptops in communal spaces rather than allowing them in bedrooms.


• Checking the privacy settings of social networking sites to ensure children don’t over share information or get exposed to anything they shouldn't be.


• Educating yourself about how sites work in case of a problem and remembering to check the policies of social networking sites: both Facebook and Twitter have age limits of 13 for example.


• Finally, set a good example yourself. If parents are constantly checking and updating social media sites it sends a message to children that they should be doing the same.

For more information on keeping children safe online and understanding internet safety in general you can visit the Knowthenet website.

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