Online safety is a shared responsibility between the community, parents, schools and students.
Please check our supporting, learning and awareness information for families:
Families with children 5 – 12 years old
- Keep the computer or device in an area of your home that can be supervised. And check in regularly with your child to see what they are viewing.
- Explore the online world with them. Play games with them. Do a creative project together.
- Think about social media readiness. Most social media sites require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13.
- Encourage respect and empathy. Teach them to avoid sharing or posting things that may upset others.
- Encourage them to learn about online safety by exploring the e Safety Commissioner Kids website: Kids – eSafety Commissioner
- Be clear about how much time they can spend online, the apps they can use, the websites they can visit and what they can share or post online.
- Ensure your own devices are protected by a password or pin, so your child cannot accidentally come across inappropriate content.
- Use parental control tools appropriate for the age and experience of your child. Be upfront and get your child on board. Let them know that these can be reviewed and changed as they get older and they continue to demonstrate responsible behaviour. Consider installing a ‘child-friendly’ search engine that will allow them to explore a limited number of sites.
Families with young people 13-17 years old
- Keep the computer or device in an area of your home that can be supervised. And check in regularly with your child to see what they are viewing.
- Explore the online world with them. Play games with them. Do a creative project together.
- Think about social media readiness. Most social media sites require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13.
- Encourage respect and empathy. Teach them to avoid sharing or posting things that may upset others.
- Encourage them to learn about online safety by exploring the e Safety Commissioner Kids website: Kids – eSafety Commissioner
- Be clear about how much time they can spend online, the apps they can use, the websites they can visit and what they can share or post online.
- Ensure your own devices are protected by a password or pin, so your child cannot accidentally come across inappropriate content.
- Use parental control tools appropriate for the age and experience of your child. Be upfront and get your child on board. Let them know that these can be reviewed and changed as they get older and they continue to demonstrate responsible behaviour. Consider installing a ‘child-friendly’ search engine that will allow them to explore a limited number of sites.
Privacy and your child
You can help your child to stay in control of their information. This includes personal details, online photos and social media identity. It is important your child is aware of where and how their information is available online.
They should think about:
- Who can access it
- What others may be doing with their information
- The impression they are leaving for others to find.
How can I protect my child’s privacy when they are online?
- Update the privacy settings on devices, applications (apps) and software your child is using. You can find out more about using devices safely on the eSafety Commissioner website: Use your device safely – eSafety Commissioner
- Get involved and explore the online world with them.
- Play alongside them in online games and see what kinds of information they may be sharing.
- Get to know the apps and devices your child is using. Find out about different apps, games and social media platforms on the eSafety Guide: The eSafety Guide – eSafety Commissioner
- Respect their privacy. Ask your child for permission before sharing or tagging photos of them.
- Avoid sharing photos and videos that contain personal details, such as full names, personal contact information, school uniforms and locations.
- Avoid adding comments to photos that identify locations, like street addresses, school names, or identifying features in front of your home.
- Ensure schedules of children’s activities are not shared online.
Parental controls on devices
Parental controls are settings that allow you to monitor and limit what your child can see and do online.
They can be set up to:
- Stop your child from accessing specific websites or functions
- Limit screen time on a device, program or website
- Allow you to monitor sites your child visits and filter inappropriate content.
Visit the eSafety Commissioner website for information about setting appropriate parental controls on different devices: Parental controls – How to keep your child safe.
Online (cyber) bullying
Using social media safely
Avoid scams and protect your personal information
- Visit the Tasmanian Government’s Defend your data website for online safety tips videos and information
- The Australian Cyber Security Centre website has advice about data security.
- Report scams or suspicious online activity to law enforcement via ReportCyber.
Official organistions for online safety
Learn about being online (digital literacy)
Our policies and guiding information