Online safety

Keeping safe online is a minefield for almost everyone in Aotearoa. From scams that target the elderly to innocent-looking YouTube videos that seem to be aimed at toddlers, there’s a lot to navigate at every age and stage. Perhaps the most vulnerable time is during the teen years, when young people are surrounded by peers who are online, and when adolescence triggers many to push accustomed boundaries to find new levels of independence. But the internet can also be a powerful tool to combat social isolation, to nurture relationships with friends and whānau, to find our various support networks, to share stories the world needs to hear, to celebrate these developing identities emerging in the teen years, and to have fun!

For parents of young people with Down syndrome, there are different challenges to keeping rangatahi safe online. Awhi Ngā Mātua is an online community for parents of children with disabilities, and over the summer holidays they published some suggestions about keeping kids safe online. These holidays, most of the country has seen more than its fair share of rain, so the timing couldn’t have been better! Here are a few highlights summarised from the article.

Keep communication going

Talk to your child at a level appropriate to their understanding about what is and isn’t ok online. For example, they might have a good set of rules for recognising ‘stranger danger’ in the physical world, but these rules are different in the virtual world. A conversation around things to avoid like giving away personal details to someone you don’t know well might be a good plan. Would you do it face-to-face?

On the flipside, ongoing discussions about what is appropriate for your child to do or say online is also important. This is a great rule of thumb for ANYONE using the internet - if you wouldn’t say it, share it, or do it in real life, don’t do it online. It’s also important to discuss consequences, and build an awareness that once things are shared online, it’s usually not easy to control where they go or who sees them in the future.

Be alert to your child’s emotions after they’ve been online

If their behaviour is different after they’ve been on a device, ask more information about this to protect against cyber-bullying, or negative influences on self-esteem from social media.

Utilise the tools already available

Most apps, social media sites, online learning platforms, and devices have parental control options and other security settings that can be used to keep safe whilst also allowing adequate levels of privacy for your child’s online life. Utilise what you can and ask your nearest tech-savvy mates for help when you need it.

Establish clear boundaries and rules for being online

These can be written, talked about, or displayed pictorially depending on what is best for your whānau. One of these rules can be for parents – that if something has happened to make your child uncomfortable online, they can come to you tell you and not be in trouble, even if one of the other rules has been broken in the process.

Check out more resources on this topic

Our good friends at the IHC library have resources on online safety for both kids and parents, and there are plenty of great options online too like this tool from the Endeavour Foundation: https://www. endeavour.com.au/disability-services/ online-resources/online-safety-academy