Your child’s first digital steps

Young children online

The positives Research shows that tech skills and confidence are associated with improved resilience online – so kids who use tech from a young age may be more prepared to deal with risks later on. Lots of opportunities for creativity and learning in the digital age… Tynker – app to help young children learn about programming. Night Zookeeper – children complete ‘drawing missions’ and create digital books based on a zoo full of magical animals. Endless Reader – helps young children learn to read using colourful monsters and activities.

Exercise Think about one activity your child goes to. Before they started… What questions did you have?

Just like offline, it matters… Who influences your child. What they do. Where they go. The WWW approach W W W W W W

WHO influences your child’s online behaviour Companies and brands – through advertising on sites they visit. Older siblings – may access sites that aren’t appropriate for young children. Other carers/adults – may not have the same rules and controls. You!

WHAT your child does online Passively watching programmes and videos. Observing other people’s activity – gaming, seeing videos a sibling is watching etc. Accidental online or in-app purchases, webcams or on a family device. Lots of opportunities for kids to learn, play and be creative online – but these need to be balanced with offline activities.

WHERE your child goes online Sites for children – Cbeebies, Nick Jnr etc – that may have external links. YouTube is very popular with young children. Don’t forget the physical ‘where’ – other family members’ homes, friend’s device etc.

Using WWW – a scary YouTube video Your child comes to you upset because of something scary he’s seen on YouTube. How might you use the WWW approach to help?

WHO Ask your child if someone else showed them the video or told them what to look for. Find out if they watched the video on purpose or just happened to see it while someone else was watching. WHAT Talk about what they saw – reassure them in the same way you would if they saw something upsetting offline. WHERE Lots of videos on YouTube are perfectly fine for kids, so there’s nothing wrong with them using it – but turn on SafetyMode and consider watching with them to make sure they stay in the safe bits. Ways to respond

Using WWW – in-app purchases You find out your child has spent lots of money in an app on your phone without permission. How might you use the WWW approach to deal with it?

WHO Often free apps have advertising that could be confusing or misleading to a child. Check games for adverts before letting your child play. WHAT Talk about buying things online – help them understand how it works and that they need to ask for permission first. WHERE Help your child find games and apps that don’t involve lots of spending. Turn off in-app purchases on the devices they use. Ways to respond

Using WWW – acting out a video game You notice your child acting out an inappropriate violent scenario when playing with friends. She tells you she saw it in an age-restricted game her brother was playing. How might you use the WWW approach to deal with it?

WHO Talk to her brother about playing games with mature content away from younger siblings. WHAT Explain why what she was doing was inappropriate and that sometimes entertainment for older people shows things we shouldn’t do. WHERE Limit access by using parental controls on her devices. Try to make sure older family members wait until she’s in another room before playing or watching mature content. Ways to respond

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