Talking with your child about being online

Starting the conversation

Be Open

• Start the conversation in a relaxed setting. Make it as regular as talking about their day.
• Listen and Encourage
• Encourage them to share their online experiences and listen carefully to their concerns.
• There’s no substitute for talking – it’s good to talk to your child about what they do in the online world.

Regular Check-ins

• Have regular discussions about what they enjoy online, and any new apps or games.

Everyday conversation

• Make digital issues part of everyday conversation - talking about subjects like cyberbullying, sexting and copyright infringement.
• When you're talking about bullying, sex and relationships and other issues, don't forget to include the online aspects.
• Talk to your children about whether the issues they face are different online and offline - or how online and offline work together to complicate their lives.

As a Family

• Talk to friends and family about how they manage their children's digital lives.
• Remind older siblings that websites they use may not be suitable for younger brothers and sisters.

Boundary setting

• It is very important to set boundaries and rules.
• Create a family agreement outlining rules for online behaviour and screen time.
• Your digital use is a model for your child – if you check for emails and social media posts all of the time, your child is likely to do the same.