Parents urged to set up tech safety on new devices BEFORE wrapping for Christmas
This Christmas and New year the NSPCC are bracing themselves for a surge in calls to Childline across Merseyside and Cheshire
Parents across Merseyside are being urged to set up safety features and parental controls on any new devices being given to their children for Christmas BEFORE wrapping it up.
It’s as the NSPCC say they are expecting a surge in calls to Childline with children getting new tech gifts for Christmas.
Parents are being advised that if devises are left without safety features, it could mean an increase in issues like online bullying.
Helen Westermann is the North rep for the charity and says a little research on the device is ideal but if you don’t have the time there are other ways of keeping young people safe.
Helen told us: “Certainly, before you give the child a device, set it up.
“Charge it and put on some parental safety.
“If you're giving a second hand device, make sure the device has been reset to factory settings before giving it as a gift.”
Helen says open communication is important for keeping young people safe online.
She said: “Have a conversation with your child - what would they do ‘if’.
“So, what would they do if someone contacted them that they didn’t know?
“What would they do if they saw some content that worried or upset them?
“What would they do if they posted something that they later came to worry about?”
Child psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, who is an ambassador for child online safety group Internet Matters, said setting up new gadgets ahead of time could help parents "stay in control" of what their children accessed.
The group also highlights key features for parents to consider such as screen time managers which can be used on mobile devices as well as games consoles to limit how long each day a child can use the device itself or individual apps and games.