Student Services Coordinator

Five social media safety tips for parents

1. Understand the applications and social media sites your child is using

There are apps such Instagram and Snapchat where users can share photos and engage in quick conversations. If you’re not a social media user yourself, you can also do some reading to get a better understanding on which social networks are appropriate to your child’s age and what type of engagement is involved.

2. Set rules for your child’s social media use

Banning your child from using social media is rarely effective, as they are likely to have access to a personal computer, tablet, smartphone or gaming console, as well as the devices they use at school or at friends’ houses. Your best bet is reach an agreement with your child about their social media use — you might pre-approve the sites they can join, encourage open conversation about their use or things they see online, or agree that they hand over their phone overnight.

3. Teach your child about sharing information responsibly

Children should refrain from publishing personal information, such as their date of birth, home address, phone number or the school they attend. Most social media sites give users the opportunity to adjust their privacy settings, usually allowing parts of their profile (or even their full profile) to remain hidden from users who are not a connection. Your child should know that although they might ‘meet’ people online, they should never give personal information or arrange a meeting with a new online friend without supervision.

4. Ensure your child understands the implications of their online behaviours

Your child may not be aware of the implications of what they do or say online. A general rule of thumb is that if they wouldn’t say something in front of you, their teachers or to a friend’s face, it’s best not to say it online. Your child should also understand that content they post can be saved, shared by friends or viewed by social media users outside of their network. This applies to status updates, comments and photos — even if they are quickly deleted.

5. Help your child to deal with cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can include text messages, emails, messages and comments on social networks, as well as purposely excluding others online. If your child is a victim of cyberbullying, they should talk to someone they trust about what they have experienced, whether this is you, an older sibling, their teacher or the school counsellor. It is also important to record evidence of cyberbullying — by printing or saving an email, keeping mobile phone conversations or ‘screen capturing’ an online post. If cyberbullying occurs on social media, your child will usually be able to report the incident to the social network provider and block the bully from contacting them.