Staying safe online and cyberbullying

It’s important to make time to chat to your child about what they do online.

Deaf children and young people can miss out on informal learning about internet and social media use. They may also have lower literacy levels than other children their age. This might mean that they need extra help to use the internet safely, especially as information on privacy and safety features can be difficult to understand.

Be positive and interested in what they get up to. Make sure you’re aware of the different services they might be using.

Respect the fact that as your child gets older they will want more privacy. Make it clear that they can talk to you if anything goes wrong online.

Try not to overreact if something upsetting happens online. Instead talk it through with them. Explore how you can help and how you and your child could help to stop it happening again.

Keep up an ongoing conversation about internet safety. You could make a family agreement that sets out expectations for safe and smart internet use. Use Childnet's 'Have a conversation' advice and resources to get started.

Explain how everything your child puts online builds their online reputation. This can be good or bad depending on the content.

Suggest your child searches for themselves to check out their online reputation. Are they happy with it?

Remind your child that everything they post publicly online could stay there forever. Once they post photos and comments online, they no longer have control over the content or how it’s used. This applies even when they post in closed or private groups. It also applies when posts are supposed to be temporary.

Top tip: if they wouldn’t share the information in real life, then they shouldn’t share it online.

Privacy settings allow people to control who they share information with on social media.

Lots of information about privacy settings is long and complex. Videos explaining the settings isn’t always subtitled. Deaf children and young people may struggle to understand the instructions.

Sit down with your child and review their privacy settings. Make sure they're aware of how much information they are sharing about themselves. You can check the social networks checklists from the UK Safer Internet Centre.

All major internet providers offer free filtering tools (UK Safer Internet Centre). These tools prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content while connected to your home internet. Check the parental controls available for different devices (UK Safer Internet Centre).

Many web browsers have built-in tools and features to help control the content your child can view. Read the UK Safer Internet Centre’s information on the tools and features.

There are apps that can filter out age-inappropriate content or restrict some functions. Go to the Apple App Store if your child has an Apple device. Go to the Google Play store if they have an Android device, and search for ‘parental controls’.

Internet enabled devices have settings to prevent your child from making in-app purchases within a game or app. You can also set up a password so your child can’t buy apps without your consent. Read instructions on how to apply parental spending controls to Apple, Android and gaming devices (Internet Matters).

It’s also a good idea to check your child’s phone bill so you can keep track of any extra charges they may be building up.

Warn your child that not everything or everyone online can be trusted. Encourage them to question people’s motives and challenge online friendships. Remind them that following strangers or adding them as friends on social media can be risky. It gives the stranger access to any personal information posted online.

Try watching online videos (YouTube) together that reinforce the message.

It’s important to be aware that some apps, games and websites have age ratings. Most social networking sites have a minimum user age of 13.

Try to keep up with what social networks, apps, games and websites your child is using. Check the age-suitability and safety features of popular games, apps and websites. Find this information on websites like Common Sense Media.

If your child has told you they are being bullied online, reassure them. They did the right thing by telling you and that together you can do something about it.

If you suspect your child is the victim of cyberbullying, remind them that they don’t have to suffer in silence. There are lots of people they can tell, preferably a trusted adult, even if they don’t feel they can tell you.

There are practical steps you and your child can take which will help the situation:

• Block, mute, delete or report the person who is being mean.
• Do not reply or retaliate.
• Take screenshots and save them as evidence. A screenshot takes a picture of what’s on the device’s screen and saves it as an image. Screenshots are also known as a screen grab, screen dump or screen capture.

Make sure your child knows how to block, report or delete contacts that are upsetting them. Lots of websites have their own reporting tools for cyberbullying. 

Find out how to make a report (Childnet).

If you have concerns about your child’s online safety it is important you know who to report it to.

Childnet have more information about how to make a report, including:

• links to reporting tools on popular sites such as YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram
• how to report suspicions about someone’s behaviour towards a child
• how to report inappropriate or criminal content or content that incites hatred

Key websites for parents and carers

• Childnet
• Safer Internet
• Internet Matters
• NSPCC

Where to report concerns

How to make a report (Childnet)

Online gaming

• Online gaming (Childnet)
• Ask about games

For more information go to Childnet's Parents and carers resource sheet.