Top tips for parents/carers

Often get beaten by your son on football manager? Does your daughter get the football results on her phone before you?

Feel they know more about the internet than you? Think you know how to keep your family safe online?

The FA has teamed up with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, to help assist families keep up with their children online and keep them safe.

The internet is central to all of our family’s lives, it is how we stay in touch, play and learn. But don’t forget, it’s a public place. Whilst it brings many benefits and opportunities,  it can sometimes present challenges and as a parent feel a bit overwhelming.

Each year, CEOP celebrates an international day of action called Safer Internet Day (SID). It is used to highlight the importance of educating children and young people about their online safety and this year, we The FA are supporting SID and encouraging as many parents, coaches and club Welfare Officers to get on board!

It is just as important to be involved in your children’s life online, as it is offline. Just as you would ask about their friends at school or the clubs they go to, we want parents and those responsible for children, to start asking about the people they meet online, the sites they visit and the things they enjoy.

To help get you started, the CEOP Centre are releasing the ‘Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’ - a short, entertaining TV-style programme looking at what it’s like to bring up children in the online world. The programme will help you to:
 Stay up-to-date with the technology your children are using;
 Understand steps you can take to keep your children safe online; and
 Know what action to take and where to seek further support if things go wrong.

The FA and the CEOP Centre are encouraging parents to view The ‘Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’ online, which will be available on Tuesday 7 February.

Visit www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents to watch the programme and access information on how to keep your family safe online.
                
Click here for the ‘Parent’s and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’ produced by CEOP for Safer Internet Day 2012.

The FA would like to thank the CEOP Centre for making the following tips available to parents of children involved in football. 

You can visit the 'Thinkuknow' website for further information.

• Know what your children are doing online and who they are talking to. Ask them to teach you to use any applications you have never used, such as a social networking site or online chat rooms
• Help your children to understand that they should never give out personal details to online friends - personal information includes their instant messenger id, email address, mobile phone number and any pictures of themselves, their family or friends -if your child publishes a picture or video online – anyone can change it or share it and it may be online forever
• If your child receives SPAM/ junk email and texts remind them never to believe them, reply to them or use them
• It’s not a good idea for your child to open files that are from people they don’t know. They won’t know what they contain – it could be a virus or worse. Help your child to understand that some people may not tell the truth online and therefore internet friends should remain online. They should never meet up with any strangers in the real world without an adult they trust being present.
• Always make sure your child feels comfortable in being able to come to you or someone they trust if they are worried about anything online. Teach young people how to block someone online and report them if they feel uncomfortable. Most sites will have guidance on this and any reports can be made directly to the CEOP Centre via www.ceop.police.uk