Expat Living (Hong Kong)

STEPS TO CYBER SAFETY

Do you know what your kids are doing online?

- BY MELISSA STEVENS

Technology provides wonderful tools for our children – they can access huge amounts of informatio­n on the internet to help with schoolwork, as well as informativ­e videos, and learning aids. The downside, however, can be exposure to bullying via social media and inappropri­ate online content.

According to Nord Anglia Internatio­nal School Hong Kong Principal BRIAN COOKLIN, while most parents are conscious that cyber safety is an issue, very few really know how to approach it.

“There is a patchy awareness of cyber safety by parents,” he says. “Some can be overzealou­s and this leads both to friction and contrary action by their child. At the other extreme, there are parents who adopt a laissez-faire attitude and just give up monitoring their child’s activities. Most parents lie somewhere between these two extremes. In other words, they are worried about cyber safety but don’t know what to do about it.”

Brian says there are three key steps parents should take as a starting point to ensure cyber safety. They are:

#1 Monitor screen time and usage of devices

#2 Advise your children not to give out any personal

informatio­n to strangers

#3 Avoid sharing informatio­n about children (or photos) on

open social media channels.

A vital part of your child’s use of the internet and social media is their ability to be a responsibl­e internet user, and to be able to identify positive and negative use. This will be crucial when it comes to the issue of cyber bullying.

“There is a fundamenta­l issue to address the need to educate children in adopting the right attitude and forms of communicat­ion when using the internet,” Brian says. “In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the level of cyber bullying. This problem is caused by the misplaced belief that each person can remain anonymous and therefore be as abusive as they like. Teaching a sense of self-respect and respect for others is critical.”

This idea of respect, including respect in the digital space, is an integral part of the school’s values and curriculum from the age of three. Age-appropriat­e guidance continues throughout the school years, and the school also holds workshops to keep parents informed.

DAVID SHEEHAN, Head of Pastoral Care at the school, adds that there are many resources available to help ensure your child’s online safety. He advises parents to work through and talk about these with their children. “It will have more impact on them, you can check their understand­ing and it also shifts the use of technology from a solitary pursuit to a collaborat­ive one, where your child is with someone else while they are online.”

Nord Anglia Internatio­nal School Hong Kong is at 11 On Tin Street, Lam Tin, Kowloon.

3958 1488 | nais.hk

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