Summer is almost upon us and it is important for our elementary students to continue to stay safe online. Many of our older elementary students are using some type of social media platform to stay in contact with friends and to share information. Social media that our students are using include: email, youtube, facebook, instagram, skype, and snapchat. The most important thing you can do is talk to your child and monitor what they are doing online. This is a great time in their lives where we can be there to help them learn these important skills and strategies.
Some tips to help your child stay safe:
Resources:
Family Online Safety Institute
https://www.fosi.org/
This site has a great section called “Good Digital Parenting” that contains advice as well as tip sheets on the various social media apps out there. These tip sheets include the age level restrictions, a link to the web page for the tool, and quick tips for parents on what to look out for.
Common Sense Media
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
This site has movie, app, and book reviews, as well as advice for parents around all types of digital issues for kids of all ages.
YouTube Safety Information for Parents
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802272?hl=en
Facebook Family Safety Center
https://www.facebook.com/safety
Snapchat Safety Center
https://www.snapchat.com/safety
Instagram Tips for Parents
https://help.instagram.com/154475974694511/
Skype Safety
http://www.skype.com/en/security/
Some tips to help your child stay safe:
- Set up online accounts together and check them often.
- Brainstorm usernames and passwords together.
- Be aware of the social media your child is using and the age limits and privacy setting that can be set for each tool (see links below)
- Have summer rules for screentime.
- Keep an eye on what your child is doing - have the computer in a central location and check their devices.
- Remind your child the basics of safety - don’t chat with strangers, don’t share location information or last names, tell an adult if anything happens that makes them uncomfortable.
Resources:
Family Online Safety Institute
https://www.fosi.org/
This site has a great section called “Good Digital Parenting” that contains advice as well as tip sheets on the various social media apps out there. These tip sheets include the age level restrictions, a link to the web page for the tool, and quick tips for parents on what to look out for.
Common Sense Media
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
This site has movie, app, and book reviews, as well as advice for parents around all types of digital issues for kids of all ages.
YouTube Safety Information for Parents
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802272?hl=en
Facebook Family Safety Center
https://www.facebook.com/safety
Snapchat Safety Center
https://www.snapchat.com/safety
Instagram Tips for Parents
https://help.instagram.com/154475974694511/
Skype Safety
http://www.skype.com/en/security/