ICT Department - PC Safety

What Can I Do To Keep My Child Safe?

You can make a huge difference if you talk to your children about their Internet Use, let them know you are here to guide them, and pass on essential safety advice.

Remember, nothing in life is 100% safe, all the time, and the internet is no different. Just like the real world, we need to take sensible precautions on the internet to protect our families from harm.

What if I Don't Know Much About The Internet?

You don't need to know everything about the technology. You can use everyday parenting skills to help keep your child safe. just take an interest in what your child does online, either on a computer or a mobile phone.

Internet Contacts

Because you can't See the person you contact on-line, you have no idea if they are who they say they are. Chat rooms are particulary popular with children and teenagers, and there is a risk that paedophiles or sex abusers might use them to look for victims. They might pose as children or teenagers, try to strike up a friendship and eventually try to persuade to meet up.

Internet Content

The Vast majority on the internet is legal,decent and honest. But it is easy to find, or even stumble across, information or images that may be unsuitable for children. This could include pornography, or material that is violent, racist,inaccurate, or harmful in some other way.

Viruses and Hackers

Computer viruses or even people hacking into your computer (someone gaining unauthorised access to your computer from their computer) can cause serious damage. Some viruses can hand over complete control of your computer to someone who may be far away, but who can use it, for their own purposes, for example to send spam to others.

Playing online games is an example of when your computer is especially vulnerable to a hack attack. Make sure your computer is update with the latset Anti-virus software, Spyware Protector and a good Firewall