We had a workshop in our school for all the children in fifth and sixth classes to attend on the topic of Cyberbullying. This workshop was facilliated by Paula O’ Connor who is the force behind Don’t be mean behind your screen. Initiative. She spoke to the children about sites they should be careful about and tips on how to stay safe  online. The children were very interested and learnt lots of useful information. Internet Safety Day is next Tuesday the 10th of February. Here are the ten top tips to parents from the website Webwise.

1.   Discover the internet together.
2. . Agree with your child rules for internet use.
3. . Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing    personal information.
4.  Talk about the risks associated with meeting online friends.
5.  Teach your child that not all information on the internet is correct.
6.  Remember that it is not always their fault if they come across inappropriate content on the web.
7.  Report online material that you think may be illegal to appropriate authorities (e.g www.hotline.ie)
8. Encourage respect for others (e.g posting comments on Bebo etc)
9.  Know your child’s internet use.
10. Remember that the positives outweigh the negative aspects of the internet.

Webwise provides internet safety information, advice and tools to parents teachers and students. They can be accessed at www.webwise.ie