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Internet Safety workshop for parents is on Tuesday 6th of October at 7pm here in Powerstown ETNS.

Parents of children in all classes are invited and encouraged to attend. Parents from 4th – 6th class are encouraged to bring their children with them. (Unfortunately younger children cannot attend as we do not have enough space.) 

Should I be Concerned about the Internet?

While the internet undoubtedly presents fantastic opportunities for children, it is equally clear that there is a real opportunity for children to be put at risk by their exposure to material and/or individuals which may be harmful. With the rapid evolution of internet technology, through internet on mobile phones and camera phones, parents need to understand that access to the internet is becoming increasingly diverse and therefore increasingly difficult to supervise.

What can I do?

There are some simple practical steps you can take to help limit the risks as well as clear advice you can give your child. The best way of doing this is to get involved and understand how your children use the internet. Developing your knowledge of the technology involved and understanding how your child uses this technology to interact with others on the Internet will greatly assist you in guiding and supporting your children to ensure that they are using it in the safest possible manner. Maria will talk with parents about concerns and how parents can best support their child. It is an interactive workshop, so questions and feedback from parents leads the workshop.

Where do I start?

The best place to start is by understanding the technology that is being used by your children when they are interacting on the internet. Many parents find this immensely daunting. It is not necessary to be completely proficient in Information Technology to do this, even a basic understanding of these technologies will give you the necessary knowledge to help identify the potential risks and to ensure that you and your children can enjoy the internet in the safest possible manner. This will also be discussed at the workhop

Chatbudi’s Maria will speak to parents about how to best support their child in this digital age and reflect on the basic principal’s shared with children at their workshop on Friday. Workshop content includes

• Delivery of results of the school trend report which details what the children know about internet & social media and how they interact online
• ‘Chatbudi’ – She will discuss the concept of ‘Chatbudis’ (chat buddies), and the importance of each child having a responsible “Chatbudi’ (chat buddy) to talk with to share positive and negative experiences online
• 5:1 ratio: Research informs us that children should have 5 hours of “real life experiences” to every 1 hour of screen time. Real life experiences include school, hobbies, playing outside with friends etc. Screen time includes the use of mobile phones, tablets, ipads, tv etc.
• Stranger Danger: Children should only interact with people they know online. All games (Playstation and Xbox) have a security feature whereby only known people can befriend/interact with your child.
• Stop, Block, Tell: This three step rule is essential to ensure your child is safe online, through social media and gaming. If someone says or does something inappropriate online, children should ‘STOP’ – the should not respond. All children and parents should know how to BLOCK people so people unknown to child cannot contact them, also if a child has a negative experience, the person cannot contact your child again. TELL someone is so essential. Children need to be encouraged to speak to their Chatbudi (chat buddy) about positive and negative experiences online to ensure their safety, happiness and well being.