By Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa Football Club is supporting Safer Internet Day 2021.

Safer Internet Day is an initiative from the UK Safer Internet Centre that looks to promote safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

Today (9 February), organisations from around the UK are showing their support for the day, with Aston Villa among a number of Premier League clubs to recognise its importance.

Here are some of the important issues that parents can tackle around the issue…

The internet

You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills than you do, however children and young people still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online.

Conduct

Children may be at risk because of their own behaviour, for example, by sharing too much information. When using the internet, it’s important to keep personal information safe and not share it with strangers. Discuss with your child the importance of reporting inappropriate conversations, messages, images and behaviours and how this can be done.

Content

Age-inappropriate or unreliable content can be available to children. Some online content is not suitable for children and may be hurtful or harmful. This is true for content accessed and viewed via social networks, online games, blogs and websites

Contact

Children can be contacted by bullies or people who groom or seek to abuse them. It is important for children to realise that new friends made online may not be who they say they are and that once a friend is added to an online account, you may be sharing your personal information with them. Regularly reviewing friends lists and removing unwanted contacts is a useful step. Privacy settings online may also allow you to customise the information that each friend is able to access. Reinforce with your child the importance of telling a trusted adult straight away if someone is bullying them or making them feel uncomfortable, or if one of their friends is being bullied online.

Commercialism

Young people can be unaware of hidden costs and advertising in apps, games and websites. Encourage your children to keep their personal information private, learn how to block both pop ups and spam emails, turn off in-app purchasing on devices where possible, and use a family email address when filling in online forms.

Safer Internet Day

Useful resources

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