Internet safety
The children of today are often more computer and Internet 'savvy' than their parents and may come across a wide range of sites, including those to which it is possible to submit personal information. This page provides parents and carers with tips for reducing risks for children using the internet
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What are the risks?
Risks can include children:
- visiting sites that are not appropriate for children of their age
- letting an undesirable person know personal information about themselves, such as their phone number or address
- meeting up with someone undesirable, resulting from an on-line relationship
- exposing themselves to companies that may harass them with undesirable marketing information
- believing that the apparent anonymity of the Internet means that they can behave badly toward others, for example, abusing others, thus exposing them to abuse in return
- believing everything that they view on the web to be true.
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What can you do to reduce the risks?
It is very difficult to totally avoid all risk. However, consider the following:
- Keep up-to-date with the ever-expanding range of ways to communicate on the internet (chat rooms, blogs, message boards) and the tools provided to protect children's privacy.
- Spend time online with your children - get them to show you their favourite sites, chat rooms, etc - gradually help them learn how to work out what information is likely to be accurate or false - admittedly, this is not an easy task and may take some time, but it is worth it.
- Try to strike a healthy balance between encouraging independent use of the Internet, responsible behaviour when doing so, and supervision of what sites your children are visiting when using the Internet.
- Locate the computer that they use in an area that everyone in the house uses, such as the family room - this will make any necessary supervision much easier.
- Encourage children to talk about the sites that they visit and any people they meet on the web, by being genuinely interested in what they are doing.
- Get to know some reputable sites yourself, so that you can encourage their use.
- Discuss dealing with inappropriate and disturbing material.
- Be aware of the example set by older siblings.
- Ensure your child uses a chat name that does not disclose whether they are male or female.
- Encourage your child never to send a picture of themselves to anyone.
- Ensure that only public chat rooms are used, not private rooms with no one else present.
- If possible, limit their Internet chat to people known to you outside of their use of the net.
- If you have reason to be suspicious about sites that they are visiting, check out the browser history to see what sites they have been to (to do this, click on the drop-down arrow at the end of the browser address field).
- Use the settings available in most browsers that provide some protection against visiting undesirable sites (for example, in the 'Security', 'Privacy' and 'Content' tabs under the Tools>Internet Options menu in Internet Explorer).
- Know the best ways of avoiding spam.
- If necessary, consider installing filters that prevent children providing personal details like phone numbers and email addresses (these can be downloaded from reputable sites - see Related External Links list - this page).
- Don't be afraid to ask for help and advice - contact your Internet Service Provider, school, community groups or websites devoted to this area (see Related external links list).
Novita strongly encourages parents and carers to use the guidelines listed above. If you have concerns about how Novita sites are designed or are being used, contact us so that they can be addressed.
Disclaimer: The above information on is of a general nature only and does not constitute advice. Novita Children's Services makes no representations, express or implied, as to the accuracy, usefulness, suitability or application of the information to a child's particular circumstances. Use of the information above is at your sole risk, and you should seek professional advice before acting or relying on the information. Novita Children's Services accepts no liability for any damages or loss that may arise from the use of, or any omission from, the information provided. In using this site, you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of Use for the site.