Online Safety and Gaming
The internet has opened many doors to the modern world. It provides a good way to learn, talk with friends and family, and provide a form of entertainment. However, it is crucially important to educate young people about using the internet in a safe and positive way.
Understandably, the online space may have changed a lot since you were a young person, and it can be hard to keep up to date with new apps and websites. Whilst you may not be familiar with a particular app or social media platform, there is lots of advice to help you navigate conversations with young people about the responsibility and consequences of their behaviours online.
Having conversations with young people as they start accessing the internet is important. Discussions on keeping themselves safe and being aware of the risks could help prevent them getting into difficult situations.
As the parent/carer, you could start by setting some boundaries that teach them about online safety with some guidelines. As they get older you may want to relax some of the boundaries so they can start assessing the risks independently.
Breck's Last Game
Trigger warning: grooming, coercive behaviour + violence. This film would be rated 15 if shown in cinemas.
Online safety when gaming is important. There are risks to cyber bullying as many games allow for gaming against other online gamers. However, teaching your child to recognise the signs of cyberbullying and how to block and report cyberbullying can be helpful. As a parent, you may also want to use the privacy settings to monitor profile interactions.
Use the links below to find trusted support on this topic. Additionally, encourage your child to use the Health Topic pages for their relevant age group here on Teen Health. They can find more tips and resources to help them.
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