Pros and cons of the Internet for children

1. Pros and cons of the
Internet for children

2. Social media has it's benefits:
Staying connected to friends
Developing new social contacts with peers
with similar interests
Sharing content of self-expression such as
art work, music and views
Developing and expressing your child’s
individual identity

3. Risks
Bullying - online "cyber bullying"
Sharing too much information
Vulnerability to predatory adults
Sharing photos or videos that they may
later regret
Exposure to large amounts of commercial
advertisements which may not be age
appropriate
Exposure to inappropriate content
Risk of identity theft
Reduced amount of time for physical
activity

4. Facebook
13 year plus
Ensure privacy settings set to “Friends only” –
not “friends of friends” or “everyone”
Keep private information private – don’t let your
children post telephone numbers addresses etc
Check your child’s friend list – block or delete
unknown people
Have access to your child’s account
Encourage communication with your child about
what they are seeing on Facebook

5. Instagram
Online mobile photo sharing, video sharing and
social networking service that enables its users to
take pictures and videos and share them
13 years plus
Go to settings and then ensure "Photos are
Private" is set to on.
Check “Friends”
Look at their Friends links
Encourage open communication with your child
Monitor use

6. Snapchat
13 year plus
photos taken "self destruct" after 10 seconds
Hard for parental control
Often used inappropriately
Photos can be kept through screen shots
ensure that your child’s settings are “Friends
only” and not “Everyone”
Monitor

7. Cyberbullying
communicate directly with your child-don't be afraid
to get involved.
If you think your child is being bullied, advise your
child to spend less time on the site in question, or flag
the bully by notifying the Website.
If the behaviour is also happening at school, notify
the school's so that they, too, can get involved.
establish a set of rules for your child to follow when
using Facebook and other social networking sites,
and monitor your child’s usage, perhaps even placing
a daily time limit
Phones / tablets / computers should be kept in safe
place overnight – not in children’s bedrooms

8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=599I1E
-rWTU
Resources….