Being born in a digital age means that children are becoming part of the online community from a very early age. As much as it can be a safe platform of learning, entertainment and discovering something new, the internet has also seen an increase in danger to young people. 

A third of young people in 30 countries have experienced cyberbullying. Furthermore, 80% of children in 25 countries have reported feeling in danger of sexual abuse or exploitation online. There is only so much that can be done by parents to keep their children safe, and navigating the online world can become challenging. What can you do to protect your child online?

Set guidelines to screen time
Letting your child(ren) become their own person by allowing them to explore is part of being a parent. But setting healthy boundaries can also reduce the chances of them ending up in dangerous situations. Have some ground rules in place when it comes to how much screen time they can have access to.

Creating a healthy balance between screen time and being present is crucial for their development. There are privacy settings that parents can add to prevent their child from accessing certain sites or channels. However, it's best to have a talk about why these measures are in place to get everyone on board. You can gradually relax the rules once you see that your child has understood these measures. 

Parental controls 
Streaming services, search engines and apps have various parental controls to help parents protect their children and their devices from undesirable content. For example, the SafeSearch filters that have been introduced on Google can block out explicit content. You can go to your Google browser, click on settings and run a safety check or adjust your security and privacy settings on the devices that your child uses. 

Privacy
Helping your child grasp the concept of privacy and being careful of what they share online can be done by having an open relationship where they can talk freely to you. While there may be times when they do not share everything that they do with you, instilling the understanding that whatever they post online will create a digital footprint and could be shared outside of their friend circle is important.

Cyberbullying
While there may be only so much you can teach your child about cyberbullying and having the necessary protective tools for their online activities, there are still trolls who can make it onto their social media pages to leave bad comments, negative images and bully your child online. Teaching your child not to cyberbully other people or to know if they are being cyberbullied is vital. Checking your child's social media profiles now and again to see if there is cyberbullying happening and creating a space where they can approach you should they be experiencing it can prevent the situation from escalating. 

Set up a public station
While your child is still grasping the concept of privacy and being safe online, it is important to create guidelines that will encourage them to be safe - especially when they are still young. Placing a PC/laptop station at a place where they can interact in ‘public’ such as the lounge or kitchen can reduce the chances of them getting up to activities that are tempting to do when no one is watching.