As we draw upon a close to “Child Abuse Prevention Month” marked each April, we must always be mindful of the very real risks our children face and educate ourselves and our children about these threats.
Parents are urged to have these critical conversations with their children. Build a relationship of trust with your children know they can come to you when they feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Some conversation starters can be:
Ask your child:
- What kind of information do you consider safe or unsafe to share online?
- Would it be easy for someone to track you down?
- Have you ever said/posted anything online you wish you could take back?
- Has anyone ever hurt your feelings with something they posted about you online?
- Have you been contacted online by a stranger? If so, what did you do/say?
- Has anyone ever asked you to send (or sent you) pictures or videos that made you feel uncomfortable?
- Do you know what the word ‘consent’ means?
- If someone said that you had to send them a picture or video “or else,” what do you think you should do?
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Don’t forget to visit internetsafety101.org for information on this topic and many other internet risks your children face. Working together to keep our children safer on the internet,