You don’t need to talk to your pre-schooler about online safety yet, right? Wrong. If you treat online safety just as you would treat road safety, then talking about safe internet use becomes the norm and not something that they feel needs to be hidden as they get older. So if they are worried about something they have seen online they can feel confident in talking to an adult about their concerns.
Short animation for parents and childcare providers:
Podcast for parents of young children:
Did you Know… the number of children exploited online doubles between the ages of 11 and 12 years old? This means those at the end of primary school, about to enter secondary school are particularly at risk, especially as it’s a time when some children begin to enter the world of social media. The brain development they're going through at this age makes it hard for them to make decisions or plan ahead. They get an increased drive for risk taking and trying out new things. They’re super sensitive to social status and so they start craving peer approval.
Podcast for parents of pre-teens:
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