Guidelines for

Parents and educators

The COP Guidelines for parents and educators  offer parents, carers, guardians and educators support for a better understanding of  online  risks and harms for children, proposing concrete guidance and  tools  on how  to support  children and young people so that they can fully benefit from  the opportunities, that the digital environment offers. 

Guidelines

Overview

The Guidelines  for parents and educators on Child Online Protection  aim to  sensitize families to the potential risks and threats  and help  cultivate a healthy and empowering online environment at home, and in the classroom. 

Highlighting key recommendations the guidelines emphasize the  importance of open communication and ongoing dialogue with children,  creating  a safe space where young  Internet  users feel empowered to raise concerns.   

Defining key risks  and harms for children online, including privacy issues, cyberbullying, grooming and sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), the guidelines further dedicate additional attention to the impact of  new and emerging technologies  on children.  

In addition, while  addressing  the importance of the situation faced by  children with disabilities, for whom the online world offers a particularly crucial lifeline to full – and fulfilling – social participation; the consideration of the special needs of migrant children and other vulnerable groups has also been included.  

General
recommendations

There are a range of aspects for parents and educators to consider when supporting their children or pupils as they go online. The guidelines highlight that alongside the many benefits there are also challenges and parents and educators will want to identify effective ways to protect children from harmful and inappropriate content online.

Parents will often be supported by Internet services providers and mobile operators who will provide parental control tools, ways to block and restrict access to certain types of content as well as the ability to limit the amount of time spent on devices. Education settings may include online safety within their curriculum and may be more likely to filter and monitor access. However, this is only part of the solution, dialogue and discussion are crucial and a key element is establishing a positive relationship between adults and children and young people.

These guidelines highlight a series of further recommendations for parents and educators to consider when having conversations with their children or pupils about what they do when they go online and how to support them when things go wrong.

Hear Karl Hopwood

Helpline coordinator and in-house e-safety consultant, EUN Partnership AISBL, giving you an overview of the new 2020 COP Guidelines for parents, carers and educators. ITU released the re-thought and re-written Guidelines on Child Online Protection in June 2020

Tips for parents, carers and guardians

Have a discussion with your children

try and do some online activities with them.

Consider age

of digital consent.

Educate children on

the dangers of meeting

up with a stranger.

Identify the technology, devices

and services across your family / household.

Control use of credit cards

and other payment mechanisms.

Help your children understand and

manage their personal information.

Consider whether filtering

and blocking or monitoring programmes can help and support your family.

Know how to

report problem.

Ensure children and young people understand what it means to

post photographs

on the Internet.

Agree expectations as a family

about using the internet and personal devices.

Be aware that

advertising can be inappropriate

or misleading.

Be aware of the online and mobile services

used by your children.

Create a

culture of support

in the home so that children and young people feel able to seek support.

Tips for educators

Ensure that all devices are secure and password protected.

Raise awareness of the importance of digital footprint and online reputation.

Install anti-virus software and firewalls.

Recognise the importance of professional online communication with pupils, parents and other stakeholders.

Ensure that there is a policy which details how technology can be used.

Understand the risks and benefits that pupils can be exposed to when they go online.

Ensure that internet feed provided by the school is filtered and monitored.