Cyber-safety is a big concern for parents. Below are some general recommendations for helping keep your children safe in the online world:

• --Protect all devices with up-to-date antivirus software
• --Ensure that all applications and operating systems are kept up-to-date
• --Use strong passwords and do not share these with friends
• --Understand the legal age limits of social networking sites/apps and the consequences of illegal use or downloads
• --Limit private information shared (ie: last name, College/school, phone number, city, country)
• --Check privacy settings on all apps and replace 'public' with friends, turn off location services and be careful when handing out IP addresses
• --Do not post, send or forward inappropriate photos or messages
• --Set guidelines and time boundaries for online, social and gaming use
• --Have children use devices in an open area of the house and not in the confines of their bedrooms

To monitor and control children's internet usage you can put software on individual devices, on your home network or use an internet provider that filters the content. The following programs and providers are examples of products may be helpful in meeting your internet filtering and monitoring needs at home. Please remember that no software is perfect and there is no substitute for close supervision of children's internet usage.

Name	Website	Description
OpenDNS Family Shield	Website	DNS-based web filter
Sophos Home	Website	Combined antivirus, filtering and monitoring
Webshield	Website	ISP providing pre-filtered internet plans
SafeDNS	Website	DNS-based web filter
Bark	Website	Home internet filter / parental monitoring solution
Safe Surfer	Website	Home internet filter / parental monitoring solution

For further information about online safety check out the eSafety Comissioner Website, an Australian Government website designed to inform you of how to stay safe and secure online.