A Growing Problem

Internet bullying is a serious problem in today's world, children now have access to so many devices that have internet capabilities and it can, in some cases cause serious damage to them, especially when they start registering for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.


At Evade, not only do we teach kids how to defend themselves physically and verbally, we also teach them internet safety. We teach 5 rules about using the internet, including when to use it and to ask permission before going on certain sites and pages. 


However, sometimes they may not be aware of the dangers they are letting themselves in for, and as a parent it is your job to make sure they are safe. Below is some information on how to make sure your child is safe when using social networking sites:


Registering and choosing safe settings

If your child's about to join a networking site, there are things you can do to improve their security before they even start using it.

Privacy settings

Get your child to select the strongest privacy setting available when they create their account. This will ensure that their personal information is only seen by people they want to share it with. However, be aware that some sites are totally open to the public.

Safety tools

Learn about and make sure your child knows about the safety tools available to them on the service they're using. This might include a block function to stop unwanted contact or the option of pre-approving comments posted onto their profile before they are made public.

Staying safe while using social networking sites

The following guidelines will help make sure your child is safe while they are members of social networking sites:

• make sure that they don’t publish personal information like their location, email address, phone number or date of birth
• make sure your child is very careful about what images and messages they post, even among trusted friends – once they are online they can be shared widely and are extremely difficult to get removed
• encourage them to talk to you if they come across anything they find offensive or upsetting
• keep a record of anything abusive or offensive they’ve received and report any trouble to the site management (most sites have a simple reporting procedure, normally activated by clicking on a link on the page)
• make sure they're aware that publishing or sharing anything which would mean breaking a copyright agreement is illegal
• if your child makes an online friend and wants to meet up with them in real life, you should go along with them to check the person is who they say they are
• tell them to be aware of online scams – offers which seem too good to be true usually are
• encourage them not to get into any online discussions about sex as these tend to attract potentially dangerous users

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