Kyle Walters Digital Coach kgwal10@eq.edu.au

Earlier this term, ISS hosted a ThinkUKnow session led by the Queensland Police. The event drew an impressive crowd of more than 50 attendees. On the night, officers shared valuable tips and advice to help parents support their children’s cyber safety. Below are some of their key messages. You can find out more at thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice. 

Have open conversations, often. The most important tip we can give you is to start talking to your child regularly about their online activities and interactions. 

Supervision is essential. This means knowing what your child is doing online, who they are interacting with and what platforms, apps or games they are using. 

Be approachable if your child needs help. Coming forward isn’t always easy and your child may feel reluctant to tell you about online issues if they believe they will be punished or have their devices taken away. This also makes children more secretive about device use and at greater risk of exploitation. 

Check privacy settings. We recommended that you research and understand app settings, including privacy settings. This could include turning off location settings, setting profiles to private, or turning off chat functions.