Resources for older children

Resources for older children

You can help your older child explore the key internet safety messages with two engaging resources: Hector’s World and CyberQuoll. Hector's World is a cartoon series featuring Hector Protector, a bottlenose dolphin and his friends. Cyberquoll is a cartoon series featuring a computer savvy girl and her annoying younger cousins. Click on a theme below for tips on how to use the resources with your child.

1. Protecting personal information
2. Cyberbullying
3. e-security
4. Safe social networking
5. Digital reputation
6. Scams and fraud

Protecting personal information

The resources in this section are intended to help children understand the importance of protecting their personal information and checking with an adult before providing them online.

Hector’s World

There are five Hector’s World stories exploring personal information.

How you can use this resource:

Hector's World: Details...Details

• watch the episode with your child and discuss the key issues including:
• what personal information is e.g. address, full name and any information that identifies the child and where they live
• when it’s okay to give out your personal information and who to
• talk about situations where your child has been asked to use their personal information online e.g. competition entry, signing up to social networking and how information might be used
• explain why it’s not a good idea to share personal information with everybody, that not everybody can be trusted and people can pretend to be someone else online
• if appropriate make a rule for your child to check with a parent or other trusted adult before using personal information online including to sign up to games or websites
• encourage them to tell you about problems even if they think they have made a mistake or done the wrong thing—reassure them you can always help them
• If time permits watch episodes 2-5 with your child and remind them of the key messages throughout.

Cyberquoll

How you can use this resource:

CyberQuoll Episode 2

• watch the episode with your child
• pause the Golden Rules and discuss whether your child understands them, using real life examples to explain where you can. Do these rules work for you and your child?
• agree on your own rules for dealing with unwanted content, e.g. turn off screen, close the website or tell a trusted adult. If necessary, specify the type of content they are not to access, such as content with bad language or violence.
• set rules that require your child to check with you or another trusted adult before entering their email address online. Encourage them to check privacy policies on competition and game websites to ensure that these websites won’t sell their email address and other personal information

Back to top

Cyberbullying

The resource in this section is intended to help children understand the importance of reporting cyberbullying to parents and of being kind to others online.

How you can use this resource:

Hector’s World: Cyberbullying: You’re Not Alone

• watch the episode with your child
• talk through what happened and how Ming felt about it
• talk with your child about how to use mobiles and the internet appropriately
• write a list of trusted adults they can go to if needed
• talk about what you will do together if someone is mean to them online or on their mobile.

Back to top

e-security

The resource in this section is intended to help children understand basic risks to computers and encourage them to report issues to adults.

Hector’s World: Computer Security ‘Oops!’

How you can use this resource:

• watch the episode with your child
• explore what Sprat should have done—including asking for help from his Mum or Dad
• talk to children about the importance of not ever clicking on anything they aren’t sure about
• help children identify trusted adults they can get help from if something strange happens on the computer
• talk about passwords and how they act like keys and shouldn’t be shared with anybody other than parents or other trusted adults.

Back to top

Safe social networking

This episode explores the potential risk of people who lie about their identity online.

CyberQuoll Episode 3: Making Waves

How you can use this resource:

• watch the episode with your child.
• talk about the kinds of websites they visit that allow them to communicate directly with others, including virtual worlds, online games and social networking websites
• ask your child to show you how the websites they use work and who they communicate with online.
• check the age guidelines and consider whether you are comfortable with your child accessing the sites. What is the content like and who can they contact or be contacted by? 
• set rules that require your children to check with you or another trusted adult before entering their email address and other personal details, photos or videos online. Ask that they not include identifying information in photos
• help your child create ‘avatars’ or ‘handles’ for the websites they use. Agree that they must never agree to meet with someone they have only met online, they must ask you first

Back to top

Digital reputation

This episode explores the importance of considering how the information children post online will be viewed or used by others, especially images.

CyberQuoll Episode 4: ‘Putt’n Stuff Up’

How you can use this resource:

• watch the episode with your child
• explore whether they’ve heard of bad things happening with stuff friends have posted online
• agree that your child will check with you before posting images online

Back to top

Scams and fraud

This episode explores the potential for scammers to seek financial details.

CyberQuoll Episode 5: ‘Tryin It On’

How you can use this resource:

• watch the episode with your child
• discuss how some thieves use the internet to steal people’s money or pretend to be them
• agree that your child will never give out any personal information without checking with you or another trusted adult first

Back to top