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HomeLifeSafer Internet Day: Facebook shares tips to help children stay safe online

Safer Internet Day: Facebook shares tips to help children stay safe online

Over the last 12 months most of us have spent more time online than ever before. In particular, young people have moved beyond using the internet just to connect with friends or research a school assignment. The internet has been a lifeline and there have been times where young people have spent the majority of their day online during homeschooling. 

Safer Internet Day is an opportunity to reflect on what we can do to create a better online world for young people. Sharing upon the occasion, Amber Hawkes, Head of Safety, Facebook Asia Pacific said that “In a hyper-digitally world such as today, we know that young people are more vulnerable online than others and our job is to help keep them safe through our products and policies.  Beyond the privacy, safety and security features that are available to all Facebook and Instagram users, we also have a number of additional protections in place to protect minors. We require everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account on Facebook or Instagram, and in some countries the age limit may be higher. Our privacy and visibility settings are more restrictive for teens than adults. For example, on Facebook, messages sent to minors from adults who are not friends, or friends of friends, are filtered out of the minor’s inbox and sent straight to the spam folder.” 

As internet penetration grows higher and higher in Thailand – and social media allows many of us to connect with whoever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want – digital literacy and citizenship skills have become more essential than ever.

This is particularly important for children. Online safety is an essential conversation between family members when starting to use the internet, and Facebook Thailand has launched its accessible We Think Digital Thailand program to help Thais develop their digital literacy and citizenship skills and understand topics such as What Is the Internet, Your Digital Fingerprint, Be a Critical Thinker, and Tips for Spotting False News. Parents can also find resources to help protect and accompany their children online.

Here are four ways parents can start discussing and encouraging their kids to use the Internet in a safe manner:

1.     Start talking about technology early, before they start going online and stay involved

Nowadays, many children as young as six have access to smartphones or tablet devices. Therefore, parents should be talking about technology with their children from an early age – whether it be for moments such as going on the Internet for the first time, using a mobile phone or understanding good ways to interact on social media. If your kids like playing video games, sit with them while they’re doing this. If your teen is on Facebook or Instagram, have a discussion about friending or following them. Talk to them frequently about who they are connecting with and what they are sharing. Let them know they can come to you if they see or experience something online that makes them feel uncomfortable.

2.             Set family rules and try to be a good role model

Set basic rules around safely using and sharing information online, such as time restrictions around when your child can use social media or only sharing information when they are old enough to use Facebook and other social media platforms. Parents should lead by example If you set a rule like ‘no screen time after 8pm’ or ‘no devices in the bedroom’ – you should try to follow this too!

3.             Teach children to be responsible for what they do online

Many parents want to protect their child from harm and treat their child’s online behavior as their own responsibility. Instead, parents should talk to their children to be responsible for their own actions on the internet – the same as they would in real life. Before they share anything on social media, ask them to think about how that content will be read by others. 

Good questions to consider are:

  • Could this post be misunderstood by others? How does it make you look?
  • Does it insult, bully or hurt someone else?
  • What is the worst thing that could happen if you shared this content?

4.             Show them how to stay in control

Parents should know how to protect their privacy and teach their kids simple and effective ways to maintain this. On Facebook, use two-factor authentication to secure your online accounts and let them control what they see in their News Feed by clicking the three dots at the top right of any post.

  • If they don’t like a story that appears, they can hide it
  • If they don’t want to see posts from a specific person, they can unfollow or hide them
  • They can also give feedback or report a post for bullying

Being a parent is always difficult and there is even more responsibility to stay safe in the age of digital. Parents can find useful information about social networking to help their children have positive experiences on these platforms at https://www.facebook.com/safety/parents andhttps://about.instagram.com/community/parents.

More information about the We Think Digital Thailand program and its learning modules at wethinkdigital.fb.com/th as well as helpful tips and information on the program’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/wtdthailand/

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