Top 10 Tips for Parents

1. Learn the basics of the Internet and its security threats before you help teach your child to become safe online e.g. familiarise yourself with popular teen websites, online games consoles, mobile apps, tablets and smartphones. 
2. Talk to your child about the risks of social networks, chat rooms and communicating with online strangers. Use a Family Agreement and conversations starters such as those on CyberSafeIreland.  
3. Make an effort to be involved with your child online e.g. reviewing good websites. 
4. Become familiar with the security and privacy settings on computers, mobile devices, apps and social media websites they use. Click here for the parental controls on the most common home technologies. 
5. Ensure you know how mobile apps are purchased and put controls in place to ensure you avoid a large credit card bill. Turn off in-app purchases. 
6. Take time to learn the Internet lingo that kids use while on the Internet e.g. POS (Parent over shoulder)
7. If your child posts photos or videos of themselves, family or friends online that seems inappropriate or compromises their safety, ask them to remove it. 
8. Listen to your child when they talk to you about what happens online and if they come to you with an incident of cyberbullying, remain calm and discuss how you will help deal with it.
9. If you feel you need to block or monitor access to certain websites or content, there are different ways to do that. Please research what is best for your family e.g. on device or on home network.  
10. If your child is sent suspected illegal content that makes them feel upset or uncomfortable, you should report it to the confidential website www.hotline.ie straight away.