This episode, Kerry chats to Wayne Denner, an online reputation and safety expert, who has spent decades in the digital space teaching people of all ages to protect themselves online, take control of technology and maximise the opportunities it can offer.
They discuss safeguarding in the online world; something that is becoming increasingly prevalent in our lives. As parents we know the world is a very different place to the one we grew up in, and our heads can sometimes be filled with questions, worries or fears about how we can keep our children safe online.
Wayne and Kerry talk through how we, as parents, may feel about our children using smartphones, tablets and laptops, as well as online gaming. What age is too young? How do we manage parental controls? What about the positive, educational experiences our children and young people get from being online?
They also discuss how we can keep up to date with the latest technology, and suggest ways we can get involved in our child’s digital world. Wayne covers how to monitor usage, and also shares tips on how the whole family can reduce their time spent on devices, to encourage our young people to do the same.
The online world offers a world of potential social and educational experiences for our children and young people, as well as fun and enjoyment, however it is so easy to spend too much time staring at a screen, or stumble upon content that is too advanced or even dangerous. But if we implement strategies like enabling parental controls on devices and routers, putting our phones in sleep mode at night time, or keeping all devices away from the dinner table or bedroom, we can feel reassured we are not overdoing our screen time, and worry less that our children are accessing content that is unsuitable.
