It is important to talk to your children about online safety to encourage responsible behaviours and to help them develop digital resilience. Research shows that regular conversations at home help minimise the harm if things do go wrong online.

Internet Service Providers

When it comes to picking the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) it can be hard to know where to start. The below video provides information for parents and caregivers to consider:

Parental controls

Although no solution is 100% effective, technological options like parental controls will help keep your child stay safe online.

 

Types of parental controls

There are three main types of controls to help you to filter, restrict and control the content your child can access:

  • Network controls, set on the hub or modem from your ISP, which apply to all devices connected in the household.
  • Device controls, which can be set in the device, such as laptop, iPad or smartphones.
  • Platform or application controls, which can be set directly on the application settings, such as YouTube or Google.

Setting up parental controls

Guidance on what controls and safety features are available and how to set them up are available at these links:

Google Products:

Windows products:

Apple products:

Social media platforms:

More information about parental control software is available from Netsafe:
Parental controls on devices(external link)
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Switch on Safety

Switch on Safety is a free filter parents can apply to their child’s devices which blocks unsafe websites such as scams, bad software and content unsuitable for young eyes.

The filter was created by The Network for Learning(external link)(external link) (N4L), the Crown company which filters what students can access on the internet at school.

How to activate Switch on Safety:

You can also use the ‘Switch on Safety’ setting on your own devices. The setting automatically includes activating Google Safe Search and more.

More information and instructions for specific devices is available on the Switch on Safety website(external link).