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SUN, SCREEN & SURF: WHY SUMMER’S THE PERFECT TIME TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY
Parents are well versed in how to protect their children as they play in the sun – but Internet Matters today launches a summer campaign to also help keep them safe indoors.
Research by Internet Matters shows the average child uses social media for 2.8 hours a day - which adds up to more than 130 hours over the school summer holidays. The not-for-profit organisation says it is an ideal time for parents to sit down and talk to them about how to stay safe in their digital worlds.
A survey of children aged between eight and 16 also showed they spent on average 3.4 hours a day online on their smartphones. The top five reasons were watching videos, listening to music, playing games, homework and using social media. However, 81% said they always, mostly or sometimes exceed the amount of time their parents have allowed them to be online per day.
To remind parents how vital it is to stay in tune with what their children are doing online, Internet Matters will be giving out free sunscreen at family summer festivals with online safety tips attached. Parents are also being encouraged to use the Internet Matters tablet app which allows parents and children to learn about digital safety together.
Carolyn Bunting, General Manager of Internet Matters, said: “The summer holidays are an ideal time for parents to talk to their children about keeping safe online. They are bound to be using their smartphones and devices for longer than normal as they have more time on their hands and will also be using social media more to stay in touch with school friends. We want conversations about online safety with your children to become as much part of the routine as putting sunscreen on them as they play in the sun.
“We will be attending a number of summer festivals, talking to families and handing out sunscreen alongside some simple digital safety tips, delivering the message that parents should not just keep their kids safe in the sun but on the screen too.”
Carolyn added: “We would encourage all parents to have a conversation with their child about how they can have a safe, age-appropriate and enjoyable experience online, talking openly about issues like cyberbullying and sexting. Furthermore, our Internet Matters app aims to help strike up those conversations and to build a stronger and more honest relationship between you and your child.”
Parents are being encouraged to share their own tips on social media using the hashtag #screensafe.
Internet Matters will be at family festivals across the UK this summer, including:
- Carfest North (29th - 31st July) - Bolesworth, Cheshire
- Just So Festival (19th - 21st August) - Rode Hall, Cheshire
- Carfest South (26th - 28th August) - Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire
As part of the drive to keep kids safe in the sun, Internet Matters has produced some hot tips to keep children safe online this summer:
1) Play and explore online together - find out what your child likes to do online and spend time with them doing that this summer.
2) Have regular conversations - be open and honest with your child about how they use the internet and what issues they may face, including cyberbullying, sexting, stranger danger, privacy and others. Encourage them to think about what they post and who they share it with.
3) Have an agreement - agree and set boundaries for their internet use, and balance this with other activities that don’t involve screen time.
4) Parental and privacy controls - set your parental controls on your internet at home. Also, teach your child how to block or ignore people and set their privacy settings if they have a social media profile. This stops unwanted approaches from strangers.
The Internet Matters tablet app has been designed for parents and children to play together as a way of striking up conversations about some of the most pressing issues around child safety online.
With the parent holding one end of the tablet, and the child the other, the app takes them through an interactive quiz as well as a fun game they have to solve together.
There are a number of different categories within the app: adult content, sharing, downloading, competitions & adverts, making friends, cyberbullying, privacy & theft, gaming and chatting.
*The Internet Matters Pace of Change report surveyed 2,000 children aged between 8-16 in September 2015.