Trolling, sexting and other cyber chats

How to ensure your kids know how to stay safe and behave well online

Kids are dwelling in a whole new world of communication, one that many parents remain baffled by. So how can mums and dads prepare their child for the cyber environment?

Richard Bean is the Australian Communications and Media Authority deputy chair and says parents play an important role in helping children have safe, positive experience online. "Learning how to behave online is no different to learning about how to deal with others in the playground, the classroom or at other people's houses," he says. "It's just a different place to communicate with others."

Learning curve

Even at a young age, a child’s online communication skills will outpace their parents’. So, says Bean, it’s advisable that parents keep up to speed with how kids are engaging with technology, including their phone as well as the computer.

“This means having regular discussions with your children about what they’re doing online and how they’re using mobile phones,” he says.

“If parents have younger children who haven’t gone on sites like Facebook yet they can start the learning process together, setting up the child’s account with them and ensuring they have privacy settings in place.”

Even if parents are resisting social media, Bean encourages them to know what it’s all about and do their research because the cyberworld will be a major part of their kids’ lives.

“It’s not going to go away – social networking is here to stay so parents must know how it works to help their children keep safe online and use it properly,” he says.

Serious consequences

In the online world, the ramifications of certain behaviour can last for life. That’s a message Cybersmart – the government website which promotes online safety for kids – is trying to get out there and they need parents for reinforcement. “Kids need to know that what they do online doesn’t only ‘tag’ them for life but can have legal consequences,” Bean says.

Here are a couple of terms parents should know.

Trolling: This is when a user intentionally causes distress by posting inflammatory comments on a public forum. “Parents can talk about this type of behaviour and encourage kids to ignore it, block it and report it,” Bean says. If trolling continues, police can be contacted, as it is harassment.

Sexting: This refers to the sending of sexual photos, messages or video. “These images are illegal, can cause embarrassment, and once out there, they are there for life,” Bean says.

Research shows the psychological impact of these behaviours is also taking its toll. Kids Helpline recently released figures which showed that in a three-month period about 500 counselling sessions were offered to kids who called with “sexting-related concerns’’.

A survey by the same organisation also found that of 1121 young people, about 40 per cent admitted to being involved in sexting behaviour. “Parents don’t need to be technology experts to help keep [kids] safe online,” Bean says. “But it’s good to have a working knowledge of how they’re using the internet or their phones. “We can’t monitor our kids’ use of technology all the time but we can give them guidance about how to engage with others online, and help our kids understand that what they say and do online is important. “We need to let them know they can come to us if they have problems, or go somewhere like Kids Helpline for support.”

Source: Body and Soul

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