NSPCC says keep children safe online over Halloween
Margaret Gallagher, the Head of Local Campaigns Service at NSPCC, is encouraging parents to be on the ball about their children’s safety online over the Halloween period.
She said: “It’s hard to believe that the half-term holidays start in a matterxa0of days.
“Undoubtedly, over the Covid-19 period, it’s been a difficult term for a lot of children and although many restrictions have been eased, life is not back to normal and it may be a rather different Halloween for some families.
“While we all have our fingers crossed that children will be able to get outside for much needed play time, inevitably there will be days when young people will spend more time online .
“At NSPCC Northern Ireland, we know the internet is an amazing place where children can play, create, learn and connect – the possibilities are endless butxa0xa0we also know that more time onlinexa0can bringxa0with it heightened risksxa0for young people and increased opportunitiesxa0for offenders.”
“Some parents may be planning to buy new games and devices to keep their children occupied over the break and given the potential harm online thatxa0children might be facing, it’s vital that these devices are set up with safety in mind.
Margaret Gallagher explained that the NSPCC has created a checklist to make life easier which can be found at:
Thexa0website has been co-created with the NSPCC and O2.xa0
She added: “Herexa0are some of the key points we would like to highlight,xa0xa0but please do read through the full version yourself when you have time:
“Firstly, it is invaluable to sit down with your child and look at any new piece of tech together and agree some boundaries. Different rulesxa0will be more suitablexa0for different families butxa0usuallyxa0work best when agreed together.
“Remember,xa0it can help to write down any new rulesxa0andxa0perhaps pin them up on the fridge doorxa0- you can use ourxa0family agreementxa0template on Net Aware to help get you started.xa0xa0
“Secondly, it is also vital toxa0familiarise yourself with the different settings andxa0this willxa0help you feel more confidentxa0aboutxa0giving your childrenxa0usefulxa0tips.xa0Setting up parental controls is an easy way to help keep your child safe on their new devicexa0and thesexa0can help you set up child-friendly browsers, manage screen time, block upsetting or inappropriate content, limit in-app purchases and even oversee which apps your children can download.
“Most tech manufacturers have specific pages set up for parents and carers to help them explore the different ways they can keep their child safe online. To help make life easier you can find the links to these on the Net Aware checklist.
“Thirdly, another item onxa0thexa0checklist is to read the manual – this might seem obvious but a lot of us forget toxa0do it.
“Fourthly, switch off location sharing, if it is switched on, so that your child’s location is not made visible.xa0You might also want to talk to your child about the importance of taking breaks from certain apps and games if they ever feel overwhelmed spending time online. Remember that the Childline site:
has lots of useful information which you might want to encourage your child to explore, including help with feeling good on social media, online gaming andxa0any otherxa0worries about the world.
“Lastly, but importantly, we recommend that you talk toxa0yourxa0child regularly about all this and make surexa0theyxa0know they can come to you, another trusted adult or a Childline counsellorxa0if they feel worried about anything they see online. Childline’s numberxa0isxa00800 11 11.”
