The world of online games and digital technology is fast becoming the centre of our children’s focus. It can be a challenging task for parents to stay on top of the potential dangers of technology while monitoring their child’s online behaviour and finding a balance of appropriate technology use.
Many schools are finding an increasing number of Primary School students have access to online games or are given unrestricted access to various social media sites that are inappropriate to their developmental stage via their mobile phones.This issue needs to be handled with sensitivity, as we are aware that Primary School aged students are vulnerable to peer influence when playing online games and do not fully understanding the ramifications or the extent to which these games may be inappropriate.
The School has hosted a number of Cyber Safety evenings for parents with national experts such as Professor Donna Cross and Susan McLean presenting on the very issues and topics that we wish to avoid happening in our School Community. Unfortunately, parent attendance at these events has been limited and we are concerned that not all parents are fully aware of these issues or the role they need to take.
We are offering a workshop for parents to learn more about managing children’s technology use including information about current trends in popular games and gaming behaviours, recommendations regarding screen time and strategies for implementing healthy game limits. We will also provide information on setting boundaries around technology, online behaviour management and tools for managing technology both in and outside of the home.
If you have ever struggled with getting your children off their games and into bed, worried about the content of the games that they are playing or felt concerned that your child was spending too much time in the digital world, this workshop is for you!
Please make the time to see an expert in social media and cyber safety, Jordan Foster, Clinical Psychologist and Managing Director of YSafe on Tuesday 21st August at 7.00pm.
To book click here: https://www.trybooking.com/boo...
This presentation will be held in the Staffroom upstairs in the Main Administration building.
For further information about parental controls, helping you limit what children can do online and provides tools on how to block the inappropriate content; parents are encouraged to visit the following websites:
• www.cybersmart.gov.au
• www.esafety.gov.au
Within our School community, we have a collective responsibility to help address this situation and help our young people grow into responsible and cyber smart citizens as part of their education, their growth and their wellbeing. The School is taking appropriate steps to address this issue and we already have significant policies and protocols to limit access to inappropriate sites at school. We cannot do this successfully without support from parents. It is vital all parents understand the vital role they must play in managing their child’s online behaviour and safety.
Written by Mr Roderick Wood, Associate Principal - Primary School