29th November 2024
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA AND MISOGYNY The internet is wonderful. It has transformed the way we live, work and interact forever. However, for all the good technology does for us there remains many risks. Understanding how to use parental-controls is one way families can keep their children safe. Another way to protect children is to engage in the conversation. With a huge increase in sales of devices (around 13 million people receive smartphones for Christmas each year) it is important to ensure that you and your children are safe when playing with new tech. THE TECH Most devices have controls to ensure that children can’t access content you don’t want them to. Make sure your “in-app” purchases are disabled to avoid a nightmare surprise in the new year. Tablets are really popular with younger children, and the market has several which are geared towards child friendly content. When it comes to using them, start slowly; only download games and apps you have checked out carefully (sites such as www.net-aware. org.uk, or www.commonsensemedia.org provide useful advice!) and steer them towards age targeted content such as www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cbeebies/ features/iplayer-kids or YouTube Kids. If you have older children, and are thinking about getting them a new phone for Christmas, this can pose its own challenges. The old online safety message about having your home computer in a communal place becomes defunct, because phones are literally mobile computers and have the power of most traditional desktop PCs. • • •
not using phones and mobile devices at the dinner table - talking as a family is very important for development keeping screens out of the bedroom at bedtime talking as a family about keeping safe online
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and about cyberbullying and what children should do if they are worried not using phones when crossing a road or doing any other activity that requires a person’s full attention making sure children take regular breaks from screens by getting up and being active
MONITORING VS HAVING A CONVERSATION It is possible to install software onto devices that monitors online activity, alerts you to inappropriate behaviour, and can block access to certain content. This type of software is becoming increasingly popular, but while this might sound tempting, it does pose a number of issues around your child’s right to privacy and could have an impact upon your relationship with them. SWGfL published this blog earlier this year, which covers the subject in some detail and raises some interesting points. The best advice we can give is to talk to your child regularly and openly about behaviour and risk, so that they know they can come to you if something goes wrong. SWGfL also covered this in its Parenting in a Digital Age series earlier this year, in this blog. Consider setting parental controls on your Wi-Fi – you can block access to inappropriate or adult content, and set time limits which may help rein in those excessive Minecraft sessions. GAMING Finally a word about games. This year there are so many exciting games and consoles around, there is a good chance you might have one in your house. Consider whether your child is mature enough to join an online community, and whether the games they are playing are appropriate. For more advice on this visit www.pegi.info or www.askaboutgames.com. Our blog from earlier this year, ‘The real cost of online