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Our top five tips
What you need to know
We have five top tips for you to prevent online child sexual exploitation. Our tops tips are drawn from key advice areas including building safe online habits, technology settings and getting help.
These tips apply to parents and carers of children and young people of all ages.
Advice for parents and carers
Have open conversations, often
The most important tip we can give you is to start talking to your child regularly about their online activities and interactions.
Supervision is essential
This means knowing what your child is doing online, who they are interacting with and what platforms, apps or games they are using.
Be approachable if your child needs help
Coming forward isn’t always easy and your child may feel reluctant to tell you about online issues if they believe they will be punished or have their devices taken away. This also makes children more secretive about device use and at greater risk of exploitation.
Check privacy settings
We recommended that you research and understand app settings, including privacy settings. This could include turning off location settings, setting profiles to private, or turning off chat functions.
Know how to report
If something goes wrong online, it is critical your child is supported. You need to know how to take action and report.