Gransnet forums

Webchats

Safer Internet Day webchat

(39 Posts)
LucyGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 28-Jan-14 17:32:46

Ever wonder what your grandchildren are up to on the internet? Ever worried about what they'll stumble across, who they're contacting or, more to the point, who's contacting them? Over a quarter of 7-11-year-olds would tell a grandparent if something worried them online, but what about those who wouldn't talk to an adult?

On 11 February 2014, the eleventh annual Safer Internet Day will take place with the theme "Let's create a better internet together", and we'll have Childnet's Education Manager, Caroline, answering gransnetters' questions on keeping grandchildren safe on the web.

Celebrated globally in over a hundred countries, Safer Internet Day aims to inspire the safe, responsible and creative use of technology.

For young people it's a chance to celebrate being kind and creative online, while parents, grandparents and carers can get involved in children's digital lives by having a conversation with them about how they use technology.

Post your questions for Caroline below - she'll be with us from 10-11am on Monday 10 February.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 03-Feb-14 13:14:39

Hello Caroline. I gave my grandson a Nexus 7 for his eighth birthday. He was, of course, delighted as he is very into technology. But, he has discovered You Tube and whilst, so far, it has been mostly Star Wars stuff he is looking at, I worry that he may latch onto something really not suitable. His dad did put parental controls on the Nexus. Will that cover unsuitable You Tube videos? Thank you.

TheGingerbreadMan Tue 04-Feb-14 13:33:14

Is it possible to delete a Facebook page and its contents entirely? My friend's daughter tried to do this but the option they give is to deactivate it, but as soon as you sign in again with your password, everything is you she left it.

iMac Tue 04-Feb-14 13:35:47

Hi Caroline. I'm concerned about websites like Pipl that track accounts that link to your email address - i.e. Facebook accounts, Twitter, Amazon wish lists! Is there any way to withdraw your own information from sites like these?

Agus Wed 05-Feb-14 13:45:31

I have the same concerns as Jingle re my 8yr old grandaughter now having access to You Tube. Parental controls are in place but I would appreciate any information you may give that we have possibly missed. Thank you

Dragonfly1 Wed 05-Feb-14 15:05:10

GingerbreadMan if you go to the Facebook Help section and search 'delete my account' it gives you a link to permanently close the account and irretrievably delete all its contents. Hope this helps.

JodieSmith Wed 05-Feb-14 15:18:44

Hello. Do you think children have a right to anonymity on the internet or do you think it's too difficult to control for this generation?
I've asked family members to take down pictures of my children so they can have a fair chance growing up without having their life documented on Facebook and the like. Is it unrealistic to think this can be maintained? How else can I manage my children's rights to privacy and anonymity?

theMulberryTree Wed 05-Feb-14 15:24:09

Good question JodieSmith. Following on from this - what is a digital trust fund? I can't think of why parents would create email and social media accounts for their children before they're even born! Surely they can set up whatever account they like when they're older?

Brie Mon 10-Feb-14 09:10:19

Hello Caroline. Can you give advice on how to maintain the balance between allowing children to be tech savvy and keeping them safe on the internet? Is it wrong to deny a child a games console?

CuriousCat Mon 10-Feb-14 09:15:09

Tips and advice for cyberbullying? For victims and bullies...

LottieSparkle Mon 10-Feb-14 09:30:21

I use Skype a lot and think it's marvellous but every now and again I worry that someone else could contact them through Skype.

Am I wrong to encourage them to use an online chat service?
Should I be more cautious and return to phonecalls???

Thank you

Peaches Mon 10-Feb-14 09:48:20

Hi there. I find it difficult to keep an eye on what my teenage GS visits online while at my house. Mainly because he's a lot quicker and knows what he's doing. I have no idea what he's doing half the time!

Do you have any tips on restricting certain websites like chat rooms etc when my GS knows more about how to use the computer than I do!

LucyGransnet (GNHQ) Mon 10-Feb-14 09:57:27

We're very pleased to have Childnet's Education Manager, Caroline, here with us to answer everything you want to know about internet safety. Welcome Caroline!

Tap Mon 10-Feb-14 09:58:40

I think I read a similar article theMulberryTree. Something about parents choosing their baby's name depending on whether there was a domain free! What's the benefit of this?

And also setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts for the child when they're grown up... Those sites probably won't be 'cool' in a decade's time!

drivinginthefastlane Mon 10-Feb-14 10:02:10

Hi Caroline. What worries me about my GCs is their digital footprint. They're completely oblivious they're logging their whole life on Facebook for all to see! How can I educate them without sounding pushy?

papabear Mon 10-Feb-14 10:05:14

If i asked my GS what he was doing online I'd be met by a wall of silence - in those cases, is it best just to have all the child locks on the internet as it were?

CarolineSID Mon 10-Feb-14 10:05:22

jinglbellsfrocks

Hello Caroline. I gave my grandson a Nexus 7 for his eighth birthday. He was, of course, delighted as he is very into technology. But, he has discovered You Tube and whilst, so far, it has been mostly Star Wars stuff he is looking at, I worry that he may latch onto something really not suitable. His dad did put parental controls on the Nexus. Will that cover unsuitable You Tube videos? Thank you.

Hi, thanks for your question. Your grandson's Dad did the right thing by putting parental controls onto his Nexus 7. There is also additional filtering his Dad can activate in the house through his Internet Service Provider (ISP). This means that all devices connected to the home's wifi will be protected by filters, which is a good idea! However, no filter is 100% foolproof unfortunately. It's always useful for you and your grandson's Dad to talk to him about what's right and wrong online. Explain that there may be content online that could upset a young person or that could be inappropriate for him to look at. Always let him know that he can come to you or an adult he trusts if anything worries him online. Have a look at our conversation starters for Grandparents, these can be found on the Gransnet website. Some good ideas about how to get those conversations started about some potentially tricky things online. Hope that helps!

SwishySwoshy Mon 10-Feb-14 10:06:05

do you think David Cameron's pornography filter on the internet is going to make a big difference? I still get odd things coming up even with the most innocent of searhes!

grandpajohn Mon 10-Feb-14 10:09:18

hello - just popped in from twitter. Not sure how this all works so bear with me.....

i don't want to sound morbid, but what happens to digital content once you die? i'm not so concerned about myself, but like someone who has posted above, i'm worried for my grandchildren.

flicky Mon 10-Feb-14 10:11:13

Can I ask about social media please? I understand there is a minimum age to use facebook which seems to be pointless as from what I can see my grandchildren and all their friends are on it anyway and are all underage - I assume they just make up a birthdate to fit. Shouldn't there be a better way to police this?

norahthenana Mon 10-Feb-14 10:13:23

I have a simliar question if that is ok but about twitter. I believe there is no minimum age for that - and yet tweets can be seen by anyone anywhere in the world. How can I explain to my granddaughter (my DD is not very techy so is leaving it to me!) the enormity of this and how important it is to think about what she tweets?

CarolineSID Mon 10-Feb-14 10:13:53

TheGingerbreadMan

Is it possible to delete a Facebook page and its contents entirely? My friend's daughter tried to do this but the option they give is to deactivate it, but as soon as you sign in again with your password, everything is you she left it.

Hi, it is possible to delete a Facebook page and its contents entirely. There is also a deactivate tool which means that when you log back onto Facebook after you've deactivated it, you can still see your content and you do have the chance to re-activate it. This tool is available in case you change your mind and want to come back to Facebook and this is probably what your friend's daughter tried to do. However, you can also permanently delete your account by following these simple steps. If you go to the 'cog' on the right hand side, go to the Help section, type in the words 'How do I permanently delete my account' and follow the link 'Submit your request here'. Your Facebook account will be deactivated then for 14 days and after that time it will be deleted if you don't use it.
There's lots more information here if you need it, at Facebook's Safety Centre:
https://www.facebook.com/safety
Thanks for your question!

Puter Mon 10-Feb-14 10:16:25

Dear Caroline, My Australian grand-daughter (Annabel) is obsessed with Charlie and Lola, which she watches on the BBC website. I am worried. She is typically Australian, and I do not want her to be influenced by the Kensington "ra-ra" language of Charlie and Lola, who are both incredibly spoilt. What is your advice?

janet1952 Mon 10-Feb-14 10:18:37

I have a facebook question too though I admit it is as much for me as my grandchildren. I have (I hope) all my security settings set to max on facebook (so only friends can see my pictures, posts, list of other friends etc)

Well actually it is three questions (please!)

1) How can I make sure that my settings really are as watertight as they can be - I think they are but not sure how to check

2) is it true that even if you set all your photos to friends only anyone can see your cover photo and profile photo?

3) and someone told me that ay of your friends can simply right click your photos to copy or share - is this true and if so is there anything I can do about ti?

Really apprecaite your advice it has been worrying me

CarolineSID Mon 10-Feb-14 10:19:38

iMac

Hi Caroline. I'm concerned about websites like Pipl that track accounts that link to your email address - i.e. Facebook accounts, Twitter, Amazon wish lists! Is there any way to withdraw your own information from sites like these?

Hi iMac, thanks for your question! In terms of websites like Pipl, I would recommend that you regularly search your name online. I tend to do this every few months or so, just to see what comes up about me. Most of the time it's nothing, but it will give you peace of mind. It's also a good idea to be weary of when you're using websites like Twitter and Amazon, that you familiarise yourself with the tools available to protect your personal information online. For example, you can opt to have a private account on Twitter and I would recommend you use the privacy settings on Facebook and other social networking sites. In terms of wish lists on Amazon, there is an option to privatise them. Amazon can publicise your wish lists (sometimes as a default), so it might be an idea to go back to your Amazon account and privatise these if you don't want them public. Hope this helps!