As your child becomes a teenager, it’s likely the internet will be a part of their daily life. They’ll adapt quickly to new technology and use it to communicate, socialise and create. Most teenagers have access to the internet using a smartphone or tablet, and use a wide range of social media sites as a vital part of their relationships with others.
Now that your child is a teen, the internet is a big part of their daily life. Regularly chat with them about online safety, helping them build critical thinking and handle risks. Adjust parental controls based on their maturity using our guides, from broadband to device settings.
Create a family agreement on when, where, and how to use devices. Focus on developing a healthy screen relationship by encouraging purposeful use and self-regulation.
Be a role model and discuss challenging topics like sexting, pornography, and cyberbullying openly. Reassure them of your support, and point them to organizations like Childline if needed.
Encourage safe mobile use with inbuilt settings and review privacy controls on social media. Talk about creating a positive digital footprint, saying no to risky requests, and assessing online comments critically.
Help them resist pressure to send revealing images by introducing empowering apps like Zipit. Build their digital resilience by allowing them to download apps, music, and films from agreed-upon sources.
These steps will help your teen become more web-savvy and thrive online.
Research shows that teens like to watch videos and use social media and messaging apps.
The following platforms are most popular among teens. Make sure to set the apps your child uses for safety with the guides below.
Research shows that teens experience the following issues more than any others. Explore the resources below to help tackle potential harm.
Use these practical tips to help teens have safer online experiences and develop their digital resilience.
Keep talking and stay interested in what they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to bring up challenging issues like inappropriate content, sexting, pornography and cyberbullying. It could be embarrassing, but you’ll both benefit from the subjects being out in the open.
SEE CONVERSATION GUIDEIf you can afford to, give them a small allowance that they can use for spending online so they can download apps, music and films for themselves, from places you agree together.
Talk to your teenager about being responsible when they’re online. Children often feel they can say things online that they wouldn’t say face-to-face. Teach them to always have respect for themselves and others online.
Let them know that anything they upload, email or message could stay around forever online. Remind them they should only do things online that they wouldn’t mind you, their teacher or a future employer seeing. Get them to think about creating a positive digital footprint.
Remind them how important it is not to give in to peer pressure to send inappropriate comments or images. Point them to the Send this instead and Zipit apps which will help them deal with these types of requests.
Your child can set privacy settings on most social networking sites so that only close friends can search for them, tag them in a photograph or share what they’ve posted. Talk to them about their personal information, how it can be misused and how they can also take ownership of it.
Use safe settings on all mobile devices but be aware that if your child is accessing the internet using public WiFi, filters to block inappropriate content may not be active. Some outlets, like McDonald’s, are part of family friendly WiFi schemes so look out for RDI Friendly WiFi symbols when you’re out and about. You can also use parental control apps or software on devices to help limit harms on the go.
Download or print this guide to help keep your teen safe online.
Explore a range of age guides across online issues to help support your teen.
If your teen needs additional support, share the following resources with them. From helplines to forums with others their age, there are many ways for them to get support.
