CYBERSAFETY @ HOME

As we conclude Internet Safety Week in the Junior School, the never-ending task of growing our boys to become digitally fluent global citizens continues. Throughout the year, boys will be involved in further cybersafety education incorporated into classroom activities, our robust GROWTH programme and eSmart week. Trinity is proud to be an eSmart school, an initiative of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, that uses a cultural change approach to improve cyber safety and reduce cyberbullying.

The internet has become an integral part of life and education. It’s a powerful resource, enabling people of all ages to learn and communicate in new ways. For all of its benefits, there is no denying that the internet presents a number of risks to children and challenges for parents. The School has identified four key steps for parents to adopt safe cyber practices at home:

1. Educate – an essential part of keeping children safe is to make them aware of risks and discuss ways to avoid potential problems. Please see the links below for internet safety resources.
2. Empower – encourage and support your son so that he can become a confident internet user. Children need to know that they are able to make the right choices and that they can talk to parents about anything that makes them feel uncomfortable online.
3. Make computers safe – one of the most practical ways of keeping children safe online is to adopt internet content filters that other security software to home computers.
4. Supervise – boys may behave differently online, so it’s essential to be involved. Placing computers in family areas can help make supervision easier for parents.

Resources:

The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner

This is a great government-funded resource committed to helping young people have safe, positive experiences online.

• Main Website: https://esafety.gov.au/
• Taming Technology: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/taming-technology
• eSafety Key Issues: https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues

Common Sense Media

An unbiased collection of apps, movies, tv shows, games and other digital content that is sorted into age category recommendations.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

iPhone, iPod & iPad – ‘Ask to Buy’ & Screen Time Limits

A guide created by Apple to turn on parental control and spending management on their child’s device. All purchase requests (App Store and iTunes) must receive parental approval before they purchased and installed.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201089

With Screen Time, you can access real-time reports about how much time you spend on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and set limits for what you want to manage.

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT208982

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

All ISPs in Australia are required to provide an Internet Content filter approved by the ACMA. Filter offerings vary between providers and no filtering solution is fool proof. There are always methods to bypass consumer filters and it cannot be stressed enough that physical supervision is the best solution to keeping children safe online.

Junior School ICT Agreements

Our ICT Agreements are updated and distributed annually and contain guidelines and expectations to ensure technology is used responsibly, purposefully and ethically. All families should be familiar with our ICT Agreement:

• K-2 Agreement: http://community.trinity.nsw.edu.au/navbar/parents/docs/Jnr_ICT_form_K-2.pdf
• 3-6 Agreement: http://community.trinity.nsw.edu.au/navbar/parents/docs/Jnr_ICT_form_3-6.pdf

Evan Karagiannis | eLearning & Innovative Projects