Online Safety – A Guide for Parents and Guardians
ONLINE SAFETY – A Guide for Parents and Guardians
Nearly all school-aged children in Finland use the internet and most of them have their own smartphone. The internet is also used outside home and school. Internet use is an important part of children’s culture, communication and learning.
A child needs information and skills to use the internet safely. It is the responsibility of their parents and other educators to offer the child protection, help and support. Internet use should be learned and practised together. Various issues related to internet use may be topical in different families.
This guide will help you to talk about three very important issues with a child aged 6–12: bullying, sexual harassment and sexual violence, as well as privacy protection.
A warm relationship between a child and their significant adults provides the best safety.
- Reinforce the child’s experience of being respected and accepted.
- Be interested in what the child does online and talk about it as part of day-to-day conversations. Get to know the services and apps the child uses together with them.
- Don’t assume that the child knows everything about social media. Often, the child wants to believe that they are more mature and knowledgeable than they really are.
- Encourage them to ask for help and offer it actively yourself.
- Be worthy of the trust when the child turns to you in the event of a problem or emergency: Stay calm and thank the child for telling you about it. Help to clarify or resolve the situation.
