Practical help for parents

At this time of year, many parents will be buying their children laptops, phones or electronic games that link to the internet.

Most of us find our children are more 'savvy' with new technology than we are - so ensuring their safety online can cause many parents and carers some anxiety.

That's why the chairs of the North and South Lanarkshire Child Protection Committees recommend that parents visit some of the websites that provide practical advice and guidance on how to keep their children safe online and avoid cyber bullying or abuse.

There's a lot of very good information available for parents and resources they can use with children of different ages to explain how to stay safe and enjoy all the advantages that the internet has to offer.

Think U Know has games and information for children aged 5-7, 8-10, 11-16 as well as information for parents, carers and teachers.

Scotland's anti-bullying service Respect Me provides excellent advice on how to help if a child or young person is upset over texts received or things that have been said on social networking sites or chat-rooms.

Parents can also download a helpful booklet called "Keep your child safe on the internet" from the Scottish Government.

Brenda Doyle, the chair of the South Lanarkshire Child Protection Committee and Pauline Hoggan, chair of North Lanarkshire Child Protection agree: "Nowadays, many young people spend a lot of time on social networking sites like Bebo, MySpace and Facebook where they share messages, videos, and blogs. By helping young people make sure they use the privacy settings, it's easier to control who sees your page or leaves comments - but it's still important to avoid putting information like phone numbers in your profile.

"Many children spend hours on chatrooms like MSN where conversations happen in real time. Anyone can access these conversations and use the anonymity there to pretend to be much younger than they really are.

"And while 'virtual world' sites and avatars are incredibly creative - children need to be alert to the possible risks of giving away personal information.

"Children's rights officers often have to deal with situations where children have been victims of cyberbullying. For example, they may have been subjected to abusive comments online or by text or been upset by photos uploaded to friends pages. Young people can be reluctant to tell their parents this has happened in case they over-react and take their phone or internet access away.

"The best approach is to make sure your child knows that while new technology is a great thing - there are rules they need to follow to keep safe online. Above all, if they have any problems - they should be confident they can let you know. Parents might also want to consider having a family email address rather than giving young children their own accounts and log-ins. That way it's easier to keep and eye on things.

" Chief Superintendent Graham Cairns, Divisional Commander for North Lanarkshire Policing Division, said: "I cannot stress enough how important it is that parents are aware of what their children are doing when they're online.

"The dangers of the internet cannot be underestimated and while we are not trying to unnecessarily raise fears, it is very important that young people as well as parents, carers and the general public become more aware of how they can protect themselves from those dangers."