1. This is a simple PowerPoint template to enable you to deliver basic e-safety messages to the groups of parents and or young people you work with. The reason Parenting NI are asking people to get involved by doing this is because it’s Parents’ Week and the theme this year is Parenting in the Digital World.

2. Local charity Parenting NI encourages everyone to celebrate Parents’ Week every October and to recognise the important role parents have in the lives of children and young people. The aim of this presentation is to look at the risks the online world presents and to explore some basic tips we can all use for keeping safe online.

3. - The online world has become a massive part of our daily lives
- The online world has become a massive part of our daily lives. It's a great way for us to stay in touch with our friends and family and allows us to access a wealth of information at our fingertips.  - Children are using technology and getting online younger than ever before. A survey carried out by Netmums in 2013 found that the average age children start using the internet is 3.
Although using the internet and apps can be fun, it also comes with it's risks and that's why it's important for both parents and young people to be savvy to digital technology.  
Parents fears include the rapidly changing risks online (E-safety Strategy Document, NCB 2016). It may seem daunting as technology develops and changes at such a fast pace so it can feel like it’s hard to keep up but you don’t need to be an expert, understanding what children do online, the risks and talking to them about keeping safe will help. Young people want to know that their concerns will be taken seriously and know the consequences rather than just being told not to do something (E-safety Strategy Document, NCB 2016).
- Parents, carers and teacher play a key role in supporting children and young people to stay safe online. But if we are all informed we be able to make the most of the opportunities that the internet provides in a safe and enjoyable way.

4. Discussion: Ask the group what they do online.
Answers might include:
Using social media
Keeping in touch with friends and family
For fun – e.g. playing games
Sharing photos and videos
For educational purposes – checking information
Sharing information
To express opinions about certain topics or subjects
To be nosey
Procrastination – something to do, passes time

5. Discussion: Divide the group into smaller groups and ask them to consider what the various risks are online and what their main concerns are.
Answers might include: -

6. The rate of technological change means our world is changing rapidly, meaning the challenges both parents and young people are facing are vast and varied.
48% of parents believe their children know more about the internet than they do, and 78% children agree (Internet Matters Change of Pace Research, 2015).
The stats put concerns into context.
91% of 5-15 year olds use a device to access the internet at home
Children spend significantly longer online than their parents and twice as long on social media. 61% of children aged 7-17 use a mobile phone to access the internet.
63% of young people believe accessing inappropriate content is a big issue
Inappropriate content includes information or images that upset your child, material that’s directed at adults, inaccurate information or information that might lead or tempt your child into unlawful or dangerous behaviour. This could be things like accessing pornographic content, content containing swearing, sites that encourage vandalism, crime, terrorism, racism, eating disorders, even suicide, pictures, videos or games which show images of violence or cruelty to other people or animals, gambling sites and unmoderated chat rooms.
1 in 5 parents worry about who their child is talking to online
People aren’t always who they say they are online and the risk of online grooming is often a major concern for parents, although it’s important to remember that online groomers are not always strangers. Stranger danger is just as important online as it is in real life.
45% of year olds know someone who has been cyberbullied
Young people agree that it is easier to say something hurtful online than to say it to someone’s face. One of the biggest differences between cyberbullying and face to face bullying is that it can be hard to escape as it could be happening on multiple networks and devices.
1 in 4 children have received an unwanted sexual image
Sexting is the term used to describe the sending and receiving of sexually explicit photos, messages and video clips, by text, or posting them on social networking sites. Exploring sex and relationships is a natural part of adolescence, however, it is concerning as the consequences can be damaging. It may cause emotional distress, could affect a young persons reputation and is also illegal. When children engage in sexting they’re creating an indecent image of a person under the age of 18 which, even if they take it themselves, is against the law. Distributing an indecent image of a child – e.g. sending it via text – is also illegal. It’s very unlikely that a child would be prosecuted for a first offence, but the police might want to investigate and in some cases young people have been placed on the sex offenders register.
43% of teenagers have posted information online that they’ve later regretted
The internet keeps a record of everything we do online – the photos we upload, the comments other people make about us and things we buy. This is our online reputation. It’s important for us to know how to manage our online reputation and how it can impact on us. 2/5 of employers use social media to screen candidates prior to interview. 43% of those said that they found content that led them to a decision on whether to hire or not. Top 3 reasons not to hire where: inappropriate content posted online, info of candidate drinking alcohol or using drugs and bad mouthing a previous employer.

7. A lot of the time, young people get a bad rep for their activity on social media and online but adults have a responsibility to be clued into online safety as well. It’s important to remember that young people are growing up in a digital age and are actually quite savvy to it, for example when we looked at photographs years ago it was taken at face value, now young people are asking is it Photoshopped? They know how to get round privacy settings and how to set them so their parents can’t see what they’re doing online.
If we don’t stay informed about how the digital world works, there is a danger that the adults will be the ones left behind and making mistakes online.
When you look at the stats it can seem a bit frightening but the purpose of this session is to inform and to help us understand a bit more about what we can do to protect ourselves from the risks posed online.

8. Discussion: Ask the group to give ideas as to what the best ways of keeping safe online might be and then go through the basic top tips on the following slides.

9. Communicate
Using the internet and technology is becoming part of children’s lives from an early age and therefore it’s easier to have conversations about online safety early on. Trying to cover everything will seem daunting so we should try to talk about e-safety a little and often.
Explore
Explore the internet together – Parents, ask your child to show you what they like doing on the internet and take an interest in what they do on the internet just like you would offline. Young people you can help your parents and guardians understand the internet/apps/technology better.
Boundaries
To make sure we are all using the technology and the internet responsibly and safely, it’s a good idea to agree family boundaries together. You might want to consider things like how much time you spend online, when you can go online (e.g. not too late at night), which websites and online activities young people are allowed to access, sharing images and video, how to treat people online and not to post anything that they wouldn’t say in real life.

10. Content
Parents know their children best, so check which websites, apps and games they are using and if they are suitable for them.
Online games, movies and some websites will also have an age rating or minimum age to sign up. Age limits are there to keep children safe. So you shouldn't feel pressured into letting your child sign up or use websites that you feel they are too young for.
Controls
Parental controls can be set up to stop your child from seeing unsuitable or harmful content online:
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Sky or BT, provide controls to help you filter or restrict content.
- Laptops, phones, tablets, game consoles and other devices that connect to the internet have settings to activate parental controls.
Software packages are available - some for free - that can help you filter, restrict or monitor what your child can see online.
Young people can sometimes find ways around these types of controls and filters or may access the internet outside of the home either on public wifi, in someone else’s house or over mobile network on a portable device, that’s why it’s important to talk to young people about keeping safe from a young age and agreeing what they can and can’t do online so they are aware of what is expected of them.
Privacy
Remember that personal information should be private online. Check your privacy settings on online accounts like Facebook. Another thing to look at is the reporting features on sites and apps, so if there’s something you find offensive or you are being bullied online you know how to deal with it.

11. Here are some of the main points to remember when thinking about staying safe online. You can remember them as SMART.

13. If you want to find out further information about staying safe online take a look at the following websites for tips and advice.

14. If you have concerns about online safety, want to know more about Parents Week or further support with parenting in the digital age get in touch with Parenting NI. You’ll find lots of resources on e-safety throughout the week on their social media and website.