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Bailiwick Law Enforcement’s Digital Safety Development Officer is giving advice to families who are giving mobile phones to their children this Christmas.
First time phone ownership is becoming more prevalent with children under the age of 10, and with it comes a number of issues around safety which can leave families in situations which they hadn’t foreseen.
DSDO Laura Simpson has prepared a Digital Toolkit and is offering advice to help parents and carers stay in control of their children’s internet and communications, as well as start conversations around issues such as cyberbullying, unwanted communications from strangers, how to report harmful content and mindful sharing of children’s data.
The advice, which has been sent to all schools for pupils in years 4 to 8, includes links to a range of nationally recognised organisations and aims to give families confidence in managing devices through parental controls, a better understanding of some of the potential safety issues for children, and answer questions around social media.
Although there is no specified age for mobile phone use, all social media platforms have a permitted sign-up age, usually 13 years old. Whatsapp, which is one of the most widely used apps by Guernsey primary school aged children, has a sign-up age of 16.
DSDO Laura Simpson said:
“Many of the parents I have spoken to are feeling that they have little choice in the way they allow their child to use the internet. The peer pressure on parents to agree to social media usage, gaming, or even owning a phone is immense, and often parents don’t feel ready or skilled enough to parent their children digitally. I hope this new resource will go a little way to helping parents make informed decisions around their children’s online safety and empower families to make the most of all the internet has to offer in a safe and secure way.”
Digital Safety Development Officer’s top tips:
1. Have the phone completely set up before gifting it to your child. This gives you time to make important decisions around which parental controls you want to use, which apps you want your child to use and how you will monitor what your child can access before you hand it over on Christmas morning.
2. Decide as a family when and where phones can be used. There are risks attached to internet accessible devices being used privately in spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms.
3. Children under 13 should not be using social media. Check the age restrictions on any platforms your child asks to sign up to, and fully read the terms and conditions.
4. Large group chats on apps such as WhatsApp make it easier for strangers to contact children, and for harmful content to be shared.
5. Make sure your family knows what to do if they see something online which upsets them.
