Parent Resources - Internet Safety

Hello parents,

Students today are growing up as digital citizens. Information grows so quickly that the amount of information in the world is said to double every two years. At this rate, textbooks, maps, encyclopedias and most printed material can be outdated by the time they reach our children’s hands.  At the same time, today’s students communicate using technology like websites, texting, chat, email and blogs.

This has raised many different issues which students may need to deal with in the future. The school staff, with your help, can support your child’s use of technology at home and in school in a safe and responsible way. By working together, we can all help prepare our children for the world in which they live.

Here are some resources you may want to check out.  If a link is not working or has changed, please let me know.

I am not endorsing any one website, but trying to give parents a helpful resource to use.  As with any information you find online, please look at it with a critical eye...hey...we ask the same of our students and children...why not the adults?

Take care.

Common Sense Media - This site provides parents and students with reviews on movies, video games, apps and other useful information to help parents and students become digital citizens.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has several sites for parents:  

• Zoe and Molly Online
  Find a variety of resources and activities designed to help parents and educators teach young children (Grade 3 and 4) about online safety.
• Top 5 Risks to Canadian Children on the Internet
  Find a listing of the risks and recommended strategies for dealing with the risk.
• Protective Factors Checklist for Online Safety
• The Door that’s not Locked
  Find internet safety information, tools and resources for parents and teachers.
• textED.ca Campaign
  Find resources for teaching adolescents about responsible and respectful texting.
• Mobile Safety
  Find a resource for parents/guardians that details current and potential safety issues to children/adolescents using mobile phones, as well as steps parents/guardians can take to ensure their child/adolescent's mobile phone use is safe.
• Respect Yourself
  Find resources to teach teens about the risks they face when sending pictures or videos by email, instant messaging or by posting them online. The site guides teens through the risks and provides them with safety strategies to help keep them safe.

A Parent’s Guide for Adolescents Ages 10-12: Safety and the Internet 

A Parents’ Guide to Facebook 

RCMP. Internet 101
The “Tools for Parents” section of this site contains basic information and
videos that can be viewed online or downloaded (very large files).
Phone: 800-896-3342

Media Smarts - Canada's award-winning online source of media and Internet education resources for parents, teachers, librarians and researchers.Phone: 800-896-3342 (in Canada)

Kik's Guide for Parents - This guide explains the messaging app "KiK" and gives some helpful "How to..." advice.  

There is a blogger called High Tech Dad who writes about some of the dangers of using instagram and kik.  Click here to read the article and see if you agree.

Think Before You Share - some things to think about before you post online.


Google Safety Center - Google provides many resources to help you stay safer online. Check out the family section.  There are links to help you set filters and some other safety basics.

A Parent's Guide to YouTube - Here is helpful link to help you find out more about YouTube.

Parents' Guides from Connect Safely - By parents, for parents: A growing collection of short, clearly written guidebooks that demystify apps, services and platforms popular with kids and teens.  There are parent guides on Snapchat, Instagram and Cybersecurity.

Raising digital kids: 10 tips for improving parent-teen relationships - Some helpful tips for parents.

What is Ask.fm? A Parent Guide (Video) - This youtube video talks about the ask.fm app - what it is, and some things for parents to watch out for.

A Parent's guide to Snapchat - Some information on the snapchat app.

I will keep adding other resources as I find more. Keep checking back.