eSafety Parents
Help children stay safe on popular apps
Join us for eSafety’s parents and carers webinar on popular apps TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
Support young people to use technology safely and get tips on what to do if your child has a negative experience online.
The sessions are free to join and start on Monday, 1 August 2022. Register now and share the link with other parents and carers you know.
Encourage safe digital play over the holidays
Winter holidays can mean more time indoors and more time online.
eSafety can help you manage the change in routine with fun activities like Be an eSafe kid. Get your children reading along with the colourful characters to learn about positive behaviours and what to do if something goes wrong online.
You might also like to check out The eSafety Guide to learn about popular apps, games and social media. Some apps offer safety and privacy features such as Messenger Kids which allows parents to monitor their child's chat.
Support young people to deal with online challenges
Online dares and challenges are something most parents and carers will be familiar with. While these activities can be entertaining and creative, some can involve bullying, risky or even life-threatening behaviour.
Let your child know they can talk to you if something online makes them feel unsafe or is encouraging them to be hurtful to others.
Here are some ways to support your child in these situations:
- Ask questions about the games and apps your kids are using and what they are watching online.
- Use parental controls and safeguards on devices to help manage what your child experiences online.
- Support your child to report online bullying to the platform on which it occurred. If the platform does not take action within 48 hours, you can report cyberbullying and other harmful content to eSafety.
Read eSafety's latest blog on online challenges at esafety.gov.au.
Update devices and settings to keep your family safe online
Technology is always changing so it’s important to update devices and check privacy settings regularly.
Apart from routine updates, there are also new safety features being rolled out which can help keep families safer online.
- Apple have updated their settings to help parents manage what their child can do on their device. The new communication safety features help protect children from viewing or sharing nude photos in messages.
- Instagram’s expanded parental controls lets teens invite their parents to supervise their activity on the app. Parents will see their child's new followers and accounts they follow, but won’t see their messages or search history.
Read more about parental controls and using technology safely in the home at esafety.gov.au