Online safety

Keep your mobile phones, tablets, laptops and PCs safe and secure.

• Keep your devices in a safe place.
• Write down your device model and serial numbers.
• Mark your property with a unique personal code in the top right-hand corner of the item or near to the manufacturer’s serial number. Do not use your ATM PIN.
• Keep a list of all any serial numbers, model numbers, unique personal code and specific features of your property. Keep the list in a safe place.
• Take a photo of your devices.
• Cover your webcam when not in use.
• Install a ‘Find My’ application on your devices
• Backup all data regularly.
• Erase hard drives before getting rid of your devices.

Don't make it easy for someone unknown to contact you.

• Keep your social media account private.
• Only accept friend or follow requests from people you know.

Prevent unknown people accessing your network.

• Protect your internet or WiFi connection with a password.
• Make your home WiFi a hidden network using the internet provider or device privacy settings.
• Install up-to-date anti-virus and/or anti-spyware software.
• Install and use a firewall.
• Allow automatic updates on your device software.

Limit the personal information you post online, including your location and online accounts.

Do not share your location

Be aware of the location information you are sharing.

• Be cautious sharing your full name, address, and areas you visit.
• Do not share your workplace or upload photos in your work uniform.
• Be aware of what is in the background of your photos or videos. Your photos may provide clues to places you visit.
• Remove metadata, including location, from your images before posting them.
• Don’t advertise your holiday plans online.

Keep your accounts private and safe

Be mindful of how and where you access your online accounts.

• Set the security and privacy settings on your social media accounts to limit access. Check these settings regularly.
• Remember, everything posted online can be reposted or saved by someone else.
• Consider using a secondary email address for non-private purposes.
• Avoid using public computers for online shopping and banking.
• Use strong passwords for online accounts and apps (mix numbers and symbols with upper and lowercase characters).
• Don't store passwords on your device.

Set up the devices and accounts your child uses for privacy and online safety:

• Use parental controls on computers, phones and other devices. These can help check and control screen time, and access to online content.
• Enable safe search settings on browsers, search engines, applications (apps) and YouTube.
• Select the highest privacy settings on any social media accounts your child uses.

Have open, honest conversations with your child about online risks. Ensure they use computers and devices in shared areas of your home.

Check who your child is talking to online

Talk to your child about their online friends and contacts.

• If they aren’t friends in person, ask your child how they know them.
• If your child becomes worried about someone they’ve met online, ensure they stop contact immediately.
• Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls or consider using a 'caller ID' device to identify incoming calls.
• Make sure you are able to access your child's email and randomly check the contents

Social media and image sharing

Talk to your child about the dangers of sharing personal information and images online, including intimate images.

• Know about the social media your child uses. Review any posts they make, and who they are messaging.
• Be aware of applications and files on your family computers and the ones that children use. Install filtering software if required.
• Show children what sites they can go to and what information they can send out.

Talk to your child's school

Involve your child's school and talk to them about online safety.

• Talk with your child’s teachers to learn more about your child’s use of computers and IT at school.
• Report online harassment to the children’s school.

For more information and resources for parents, visit the parents page on the eSafety Commissioner website.

There are ways to spot if your child has been targeted by an online bully or a predator.

• You may find pornography on your child's computer.
• Your child may receive phone calls from people you do not know, or they may be calling numbers you do not recognise.
• Your child has been spending a large amount of time on the internet.
• Your child has been receiving gifts or mail from people you do not know.
• Your child may have been changing the screen or turning the computer off when you enter the room.
• Your child becomes withdrawn or displays behavioural problems.

Talk openly to your children and give them advice and reassurance.

• They should not send a picture of themselves to someone they do not know.
• They should never place a full profile and picture of themselves anywhere on the internet.
• If they are using social media, they should have privacy settings on and only allow friends to have access to their profile.
• They should never give out personal information including their name, home address, phone number or school.
• They should never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they have chatted with on the internet.