Children and the Internet

​Children and young people use technology to keep in touch with friends and make new ones. This can be fun and rewarding, but it also comes with risks.

Dangers for children online include cyber bullying, stumbling on violent or sexual content, online grooming, and sharing of personal content like explicit photos. Here are some suggestions to help keep your child safe online:

• Keep your computer in a family room, not in a bedroom
• Do not allow devices such as smart phones and tablets to be used in children’s bedrooms at night
• Understand parenting controls on your internet browser
• Don't allow your child to submit personal information online
• Encourage children to show you anything that makes them uncomfortable online
• Help your child understand that not everyone online is what they seem
• Know who your child is talking to online
• Never allow your child to have an unsupervised meeting offline with anyone they meet online
• Educate your child on the dangers of opening email attachments
• Learn more about keeping your child safe online

Think U Know

Think U Know is a partnership between Australian Federal Police, Commonwealth Bank, Datacom, Microsoft, State and Territory Police and Neighbourhood Watch. It provides information on topics including sexting, cyber bullying, online child exploitation, online privacy, and what to do when something goes wrong. Visit Think U Know to find resources for parents, carers and teachers and young people from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Who's chatting to your kids?