Keeping Safe Online

Keeping Safe online

When children learn from home, it’s important to make sure they stay safe online. Here’s a simple, FREE way to block the worst of the web. To Switch on Safety, you need to change the ‘DNS’ setting on your son’s device. Simple instructions on how to do this are here. Just click on the type of device your child uses below. To find out what’s blocked, read here.

Safety can’t be provided by technology alone – it requires a holistic approach. For tips and advice to support online safety conversations with your whānau check out Netsafe.

Online Safety

I am sure that many of you will have been navigating this area with your son's children but for others, the advice below may be helpful considerations. At this time we are encouraging you to discuss internet safety with your children and come to agreements about what they can do online including sites they can visit and appropriate behaviours including:

  • reviewing and approving games and apps before they are downloaded

  • reviewing privacy settings of sites and applications

  • checking children’s profiles and what they are posting online

  • check the sites your child is accessing

  • reminding children that anything that is posted online will be permanently on the internet

  • taking the time to understand what sites they are visiting and who they are talking with and check in regularly

  • some social media sites have age restrictions to join, check these before letting your child use them or join them

  • monitoring a child’s use of the internet and consider having them use it in an open, common area of the house

  • making sure your children know to report any activity they don’t feel comfortable with to parents and caregivers straight away.

Netsafe (https://www.netsafe.org.nz/) continues to be available to provide you and your parent and caregiver community with support for online safety. They have information for parents and caregivers and have pulled together their top tips for online safety during the lockdown. To report an incident To Netsafe – https://www.netsafe.org.nz/reportanincident/

If you think a child in your care is the victim of online exploitation or abuse, report it to Police – if you or a child are in danger or a crime is being committed, call 111 or visit your nearest Police Station immediately.

If we all work together to make sure children are safe online, we can make the internet a great tool for people of all ages.

House Party App

The House Party application is a pretty cool way for our fine young men to connect to their friends during this challenging time. But it is important for you to look at how they are using it, to ensure that they keep themselves safe. Here are 7 things to look out for:

1. Anyone in the chat can screenshot anything you show or do, so behave responsibly and in the way of mary

2. Virtually lock your chat rooms in the settings to ensure uninvited guests don’t join your chat

3. Read and understand the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service

4. Explore your settings and make sure you are comfortable with the level of information you are showing (location, notifications etc.) before you join your first party

5. Always keep an eye out on who is in your party room, as it can change quickly and you need to decide if you are comfortable with the people in it

6. Every time one of your friends comes online it can be easy to spend more time on the app than you’d like. You can control this by hitting the smiley-face icon on the upper left of the main screen.

7. You know that password you use for everything, yeah that one, use a different one for your House Party account.

If you keep these 7 things in mind your House Party will be off the hook, the same advice applies to other applications that allow video chat like Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

For more information about House Party safety and general online safety tips check out: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/houseparty/