Cyber Parenting
With an ever-evolving landscape and a technological minefield out there, how do you keep you keep your children safe online?
Technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning. It can help affirm and advance relationships between educators and students, parents and children. Reinvent our approaches to learning and collaboration, shrink long-standing equity and accessibility gaps, and adapt learning experiences to meet the needs of everyone.
However, it can also be a place where inappropriate content can one click away. How can you keep children safe when hackers hare trying to steal vital personal information? What do you do if you child is being bullied online? Where do you turn to if you are uncertain how much time they should be allowed on screens? When is the right age for your child to have their own internet connected device?
At Crystaline we have created our Cyber Parenting guide to help rule out any uncertainty. We have created some content along with our friends at Vodafone Digital Parenting, Internet Matters, The NSPCC and the BBC to ensure that we have answers to all of your worries.
Our Cyber Parenting Guide includes:
Advice by Age
Whatever their age, we can help you to find out more about what they might be doing online and give you practical advice on the steps you can take as a parent to keep them safe in their digital world.
How can I protect my children?
Children use the internet in different ways depending on their age and so we’ve developed checklists for parents that give you top tips on how to help them stay safe.
What are my children doing online?
Children can and do all sorts of amazing things online, the internet, after all, is creative, fun and educational. Our advice guides give you the need to know information about the most common activities.
Preparing your Child for a Digital Future
Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education helps equip pupils with the skills and knowledge that they will need to thrive at school and beyond. It supports children and young people to be healthy, safe and prepared for adulthood by dealing with real-life...
Generation Internet
Some children may have a digital footprint before they are even born, with photos appearing of them before birth, maybe taking selfies on your phone by two and who knows a phone by five years old. What does it mean to be born in generation internet? 23% of children...
Digital Footprints can Last a Lifetime
Tread carefully, digital footprints can last a lifetime It’s tempting to share family moments online, it may be funny also, but how will your future teen feel about that cute toddler shot? In 2009, David DeVore posted a video of his young son still woozy after a trip...
Screen Time
Screen time can offer children opportunities to learn and develop new skills at a touch of a button but like anything, too much of it can have a negative effect on their wellbeing.
As children get older and more independent online, finding the right balance for your family can be challenging but the key is to think about it early on and set some clear boundaries around their online use.
Screen time — how much is too much?
💻 Earlier in March, social media app TikTok revealed it would by setting up a 60-minute daily screen time limit for users aged under 18. If young people hit the new limit, they will have to enter a passcode to continue to use the service that day. 👨👩👦👦 Parents of...
Can Viewing Screens Regularly Affect Children’s Eye Health?
Dr Nigel Best, clinical spokesperson for Specsavers All evidence to date has failed to establish any link between screen use and long-term eye problems. However, recent research found that children who are regularly cooped up at home are more susceptible to...
Family Gaming Tips
It’s well known that there are lot of games that can be played as a family together on screens, whether that is on an Xbox, PlayStation, tablet or computer. Games can be educational, fun and competitive. Play together. Keep games consoles in communal rooms and play...
No time to delay online safety
Recent data from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) revealed that almost half of children and teenagers have viewed harmful content online. We’re raising the most tech-savvy generation we’ve ever known, but that could be dangerous without proper...
When is the Right Time to Introduce you Children to Social Media?
Should you, or shouldn’t you? We know lots of parents come to this conundrum at some point - some earlier than others. In fact, research shows many kids are using social media before parents have spoken to them about how to use it responsibly, with 48% exposed to it...
How to Activate Vodafone Content Control on your Child’s Mobile
So how do you activate Vodafone Content Control on your child’s mobile? If you have a Vodafone mobile pre-pay or post-pay contract, you can set up an online account to manage a number of settings. Simply go to www.vodafone.co.uk and click on My Account which will...
Privacy and Identity
Just like adults, children may be at risk of having their online identity stolen and misused.
It can be difficult to maintain a child’s privacy as they may not understand what information is safe to share online, or what default privacy settings are on the sites and devices they’re using.
10 tech tips to keep your family entertained
There are so many great ways technology can keep the whole family busy, connected and active in new and creative ways. Our tech experts pick 10 of the best apps, games and online platforms for your family. Get Creative Get sketching Help your child unleash their...
Smartphone 101
They borrow your smartphone to play Candy Crush in the car. They’re masters of Minecraft on the tablet. Now, they want their own phone. So what should you consider before giving them a new device? Is my child ready for a smartphone? There’s no minimum age limit for...
7 ways to help your child if they’re being bullied
Within this article we offer some ways to help your child if they’re being bullied. Let them share their concerns and what they want to happen. Take their concerns seriously, while trying to remain calm. Try not to attribute blame, even if your child has done...
Cyberbullying
While the emotional aspects of bullying continue to be devastating, the internet and social media have changed the way children experience bullying. Cyberbullying, simply put is bullying that happens online through social, gaming or instant messaging platforms.
To help you support your child on this issue we’ve created a hub of advice to prepare them for what they might encounter online and practical ways to tackle cyberbullying should it happen.
What should I do if my child is being bullied?
It can be upsetting when your child is being bullied, but it’s important to give them the tools to deal with it. Here are 8 tips to help: If your child tells you they’re being bullied, thank them for talking to you. It takes a lot of courage to admit to being bullied...
Cyberbullying Tips and Advice
When it comes to bullying, cyber or physical, it can be horrible as a parent or carer not being able to help or stop it. Below are some helpful tips and advice on what you can do to help. If you suspect they’re being cyberbullied, explain to them what cyberbullying...
Cyberbulling Facts vs Fiction!
With so many scare stories about cyberbullying, it’s not surprising that parents can feel overwhelmed. Our Q&A helps to shed some light. 1. Is there more bullying today than there used to be? According to a report by The Department of Education in 2018, one in six...
Inappropriate Content
As children become more independent online, it’s possible that they may come across things which are inappropriate for their age or stage of development. Using filters to block explicit content and having frank conversations are just a few ways you equip them with tools to deal with it.
Whether it’s an explicit pop-up ad on a free game, videos showcasing children’s cartoon characters in adult situations, or a forum promoting self-harm, an innocent search can expose children to content that can make them feel upset and confused.
Signs of Depression or Anxiety in Children
Knowing how to talk to your child about their mental health, or recognising the signs that they might be struggling, can be really hard. Signs of depression or anxiety in children can sometimes look like normal behaviour, particularly in teenagers who can keep their...
Understanding Self Harm
Self-harm is often understood to be a physical response to an emotional pain of some kind and can be very addictive. As children’s use of the online world grows, increasing mental health issues such as self-harm are taking a different form online. Children are now...
Radicalisation
There’s a chance that your child may meet people online or visit websites that could lead them to adopting what you consider to be extreme views and becoming radicalised. Curiosity could lead your child to seek out these people, or they could befriend your child in...
Sexting and Online Grooming
As children continue to find new ways to connect with each other on a range of devices and platforms it is increasingly important to help them make smarter and safer choices about who they talk to and what they share online, especially with an increase of groomers online.
The term ‘sexting’ is used to describe the sending and receiving of sexually explicit photos, messages and video clips, by text, email or posting them on social networking sites.
Young people may send images and messages to their friends, partners, or even strangers they meet online. Although there is a lot of talk among teens of sending nudes research shows there’s been little growth in the number of young people doing it.
Is your child influenced by harmful sexual messages
Pornography, violent video games, derogatory comments on social media, and sexualised music videos and lyrics can all spread negative messages about sex, and about girls and boys. These messages can harm young people, making it harder for them to develop and enjoy...
Online Grooming Overview
What is online grooming? There’s a chance that your child may meet people online that aren’t who they say they are. Grooming is a word used to describe people befriending children in order to take advantage of them for sexual purposes. How common is online grooming? A...
Online peer pressure
Children and young people have always been influenced by their friends. This can now include people they meet online, which presents particular challenges for parents. It’s normal for children to want to copy their friends. But now offline peer pressure is Joined by...
Recent Posts
Using Tech to Enjoy The Great Outdoors
Do you worry that your child spends too much time on social media or watching YouTube videos? A new initiative from the Scouts helps switched on youngsters to use tech to get more from their offline life. In order to encourage young people to use digital technology to...
What happens when you report an inappropriate image online?
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is a charity dedicated to supporting victims of child sexual abuse by taking reports of, analysing and removing the images of their abuse. They provide an anonymous and safe hotline to report online child sexual abuse imagery. Find...
Where can I find help to keep my kids safe online?
Keeping your child safe online can sometimes be a daunting prospect – but there are lots of tools & sources available that can help! Parents & carers actually need to take an active interest in the children's online & social media lives. We all as parents...
Top Tips
Whatever their age, we can help you to find out more about what they might be doing online and give you practical advice on the steps you can take as a parent to keep them safe in their digital world.
Our useful guides to keeping on top of tech and how to protect your tech within the household from hackers and malware / viruses.
No time to delay online safety
Recent data from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) revealed that almost half of children and teenagers have viewed harmful content online. We’re raising the most tech-savvy generation we’ve ever known, but that could be dangerous without proper...
10 tech tips to keep your family entertained
There are so many great ways technology can keep the whole family busy, connected and active in new and creative ways. Our tech experts pick 10 of the best apps, games and online platforms for your family. Get Creative Get sketching Help your child unleash their...
Five ways tech has changed the World
When we think of tech and how far it has come, it really is truly amazing to see how tech has changed world. Even in the last 15 years and the advancement of mobile phones. What else has tech done to change the world? Code breakers 1944: Colossus, the world’s first...
Social Media
Social media sites are a huge favourite with children, allowing them to stay in touch with friends over chat, meet new people with similar interests, and share photos and videos.
Used appropriately, social networks are a great place for young people to demonstrate their creativity. As a parent, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your children’s experience is both safe and fun. There are potentially huge risks associated with Social Media for example, posting many pictures of your children which could fall into the wrong hands.