My son is about to turn eight. And there was so much I didn't know about making his online world safe.

My son is about to turn eight and as cliched as it may sound, I have no idea where the time has gone. 

As he becomes more independent, and somehow goes about negotiating more screen time like a qualified lawyer, I feel under-prepared. I’m grappling with my desire to give him space to grow, while also trying to keep him safe. In many instances, I feel out of my depth, especially when it comes to technology and the risks that come with being online.

My seven-year-old’s love of exploring online platforms and games, of course, has its benefits. There are apps and fun programs to support his academic development (he uses Adapted Mind, Reading Eggs, and Mathletics), and there are countless important conversations that come from what he watches and reads. But I do need to create a balance, which involves clueing myself up on cyber safety and the resources available to help me navigate this unknown territory. That’s where the free Beacon Cyber Safety app comes in.

This feels like a moment ago and yet, he’s about to turn eight. Image: Supplied. 

I recently downloaded the free app, developed by the Perth-based Telethon Kids Institute in partnership with Bankwest. Drawing on over 15 years of cyber behaviour research and the latest from digital experts across the globe, it features personalised, up-to-date info to help families navigate the dynamic digital world. It’s a one-stop-shop for helping me create safer online experiences for my son, better understand the online environments he’s spending his time in, and reduce the harms I know can come from being online.

When I was my son’s age, it was 1988. Apart from playing a bit of Tetris on a massive beige computer that took 15 minutes to fire up, technology wasn’t a big part of our lives. There was no gaming console in our house, no social media, my parents didn’t even have a mobile phone let alone a smart phone with 185 apps. If you wanted to talk to someone you rang a landline and if you wanted a photo, you took the film out of your Le Click camera to a processing lab and picked your images up two days later. Is it any wonder I oscillate between being mildly tech savvy and a total Luddite?

Now jump to 2021, and my son has only known a highly digitised world, almost from birth, and his technical skills have already surpassed mine in more ways than I’d like to admit. Being stuck indoors for a large part of last year means he spent way too much time in front of a screen (often playing his favourite game, Guardians of the Galaxy). I was desperate to find a reliable and trusted source for up-to-date cyber safety information and breathed a huge sigh of relief when a fellow parent suggested the Beacon app.

My son’s tech skills are already ahead of mine, so I’m trying my best to keep him safe. Image: Supplied. 

Whenever I have a question about anything related to safety online or the new games he’s playing, I use the Beacon app’s search function and I’m presented with a range of articles and videos backed by the latest research. I know that's a single source of 'truth' - at a time where it's easy to find conflicting advice.

As a busy mum, it's a huge help that Beacon personalises its content with alerts to the latest information, that's tailored to my family and areas of interest. It also provides foundational guidance like what a reasonable amount of screen time for his age is and how to manage the almost inevitable tantrum when time’s up. I now feel more informed and empowered to make good decisions and take the right actions depending on the situation. Articles cover topics like how to teach your child about news and media literacy, and tips to ensure your child’s technology use doesn’t interfere with their sleep. 

When a friend shared a scary, but all too common story about her child chatting to a stranger on their PlayStation, I went to the app and typed in ‘How do I protect my son from strangers online?’ I was immediately presented with all the info I needed to set safe search settings, disable cameras and help my son recognise ‘stranger danger’. 

One of the best resources, however, is an interactive feature that allows parents to create a tailor-made online agreement with their children about online behaviours. We all recently sat down and created a family tech agreement, where we agreed the rules for how we’ll each use our devices in the home – to ensure technology is used in a safe and reasonable manner by everyone, even me. Setting these ground rules has been a great way to confirm what we expect of our son and what he can also expect of us.

Here's what our agreement looked like:

Time limits

- He can use his laptop and gaming device for 1 hour per day and will stop when his time is up. No sneaking off to play behind our backs or when we're asleep. If he does, it's a three-day ban on all devices.

Safety

- He will ask permission before he uses a device. 

- He will only talk to people he knows.

- He will talk to us if anything happens online that makes him feel uncomfortable or unsafe. 

Devices

- His gaming device and laptop always need to be within a parent's sightline when he's using them (he doesn't have a phone or tablet).

- He will make sure all screens are off at least one hour before bedtime, by 7pm.  

- All devices will go in a sealed tub during dinner, movie nights and family activities (this includes Mum and Dad's phones). 

Games and apps

- He will behave respectfully and be kind when playing games with his brother or friends. 

- He will only access games and sites that his parents have agreed to. 

"Whenever I have a question, I use the Beacon app’s search function and am presented with a range of articles and videos backed by the latest research." Image: Supplied. 

As my son starts making his own breakfast, walking to the corner shop solo, and shaking off my hand 50 metres before we reach the school gate (*sniff sniff*), I’m starting to find the balance between encouraging his increasing independence and protecting him as much as I can.

I see my role in helping him use technology safely and positively in the same vein as I see my role in making sure he knows how to swim, and to wear a seatbelt every time he gets in a car. I can’t be the expert in everything, and that’s why Beacon Cyber Safety is exactly what I need. So I can be actively involved in his use of technology, setting him up to use it safely and appropriately. 

Check out the Beacon cyber safety app here.

Feature image: Supplied.