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A USEFUL GUIDE FOR PARENTS TO HELP ENSURE YOUR CHILD IS SAFE ONLINE

Internet-enabled devices, such as tablets, smartphones, games consoles and laptops provide a variety of interesting activities and great education opportunities for young people. However, it is important to be aware of what these devices can do and how you can talk with your child to help them to use this technology in a safe and positive way. Disney Club Penguin has partnered with safety experts Childnet to pull together a useful guide to help ensure your child is safe online this Safer Internet Day. 1. UNDERSTAND THE CAPABILITIES OF YOUR CHILD'S INTERNET-ENABLED

DEVICE

The best way to keep your family safe online, and to understand your children’s Internet-enabled device, is to use it together. Active engagement and conversations with your children is key. Be positive and embrace the technologies that young children enjoy and look for family activities or games. Take time to explore the games and services that your children are using, or want to use, and look out for any safety features that may be available. This will give you a better understanding of the different ways that children are engaging with technology and help you to feel more confident. If you are buying a device and want to find out more about Internet access and available safety tools, why not print the Shopper’s Checklist and ask these questions in the shop? 2. SET UP THE RELEVANT PARENTAL CONTROLS There are several options to help limit Internet capability on Internet-enabled devices, so it is worth considering what would help.

• Many devices can connect to Wi-Fi networks, such as your home Internet or a wireless hotspot in a coffee shop or library. Your home Internet service provider should provide you with free filtering for the Internet for devices connecting to your home Internet. You can see video guides from the UK Safer Internet Centre about how to set them up (www.saferinternet.org.uk/parental-controls)

• With many devices, for example tablets such as iPads, you can also sign up for a 3G contract so that you can access the Internet anywhere. Speak to the mobile operator you have a contract with to see if they have any options for filtering the Internet

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• There are also some apps that can help filter out age inappropriate content or help restrict some functions; have a look at the different apps available via the ‘shop’ or ‘store’ on your mobile device, for example Apple’s App Store, Google Play and BlackBerry App world

• Some devices may have options for restricting the Internet. For example, it is possible to switch off the Safari browser on the iPad or iPod Touch to prevent these devices from being used to surf the web (see iPad tips and iPod Touch tips for more help)

3. TALK WITH YOUR CHILD ABOUT USING THEIR DEVICE SAFELY AND

RESPONSIBLY

Education is the best tool that a child can have; so discuss with your child the importance of telling an adult immediately if someone, or something, upsets them online. Make sure that your children know that they can come and talk to you if they see anything that worries them on the Internet, and encourage them to feel confident enough to do so. 4. AGREE A SET OF FAMILY RULES

In the same way that you set rules for most areas of your children’s lives, establish your expectations regarding online activities. Creating a family agreement is a useful step, which might include time spent online, sites that can be visited, and behaviour expected; remember, what’s right and wrong offline is also right and wrong online. It’s a great idea to agree these rules from the outset, so that you and your children are aware of their boundaries. Disney Club Penguin is a leader in online safety offering the most advanced chat and filtering technology, ensuring children can communicate with one another in-world but cannot share personal information or bully other players by using nasty or negative language. The site’s cutting edge technology is complemented by 200 moderators who monitor in-world activity 24/7 to help keep kids safe. Parents and young people can visit www.clubpenguin.com/safety to discover how to make the online world a better place. It Starts with You! For any other questions about safety or for more information about Club Penguin you can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.

Club Penguin

@clubpenguin