February 8 is Safer Internet Day and police are encouraging parents to ensure their kids are ‘Playing it safe and fair online’.

Young people use technology frequently, not just for school, but to play games and to keep in touch with friends.

As fun as this can be, it also comes with risks.

Dangers for children online include cyber bullying, online grooming, and sharing of personal content like explicit photos.

Here are some suggestions to help keep your child safe online:

• Keep your computer in a family room, not in a bedroom.
• Do not allow devices such as smart phones and tablets to be used in children’s bedrooms at night.
• Use the parenting controls on your internet browser.
• Don’t allow your child to submit personal information online.
• Encourage children to show you anything that makes them uncomfortable online.
• Help your child understand that not everyone online is what they seem.
• Know who your child is talking to online.
• Never allow your child to have an unsupervised meeting offline with anyone they meet online.
• Educate your child on the dangers of opening email attachments.

Learn more about keeping your child safe online.

Resources and advice

• eSafety Commissioner a key partner of the QPS in enhancing online safety, with a comprehensive suite of information, resources and reporting tools to ensure children have a safe experience online.
• Who’s chatting to your kids? Further QPS advice and information about reducing online risks for children.
• Out of the dark #doiknowu, a campaign by the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) supported by the QPS and Department of Education, providing resources to help young people stay safe online.
• Think U Know is a partnership between Australian Federal Police, Commonwealth Bank, Datacom, Microsoft, State and Territory Police and Neighbourhood Watch. It provides information on topics including sexting, cyber bullying, online child exploitation, online privacy, and what to do when something goes wrong.