Beginning in 2004, Safer Internet Day has grown to become one of the landmark events in the online safety calendar. And this year’s theme, ‘Together for a better internet’, encapsulates a lot of the discussion we are seeing around online safety and cybersecurity. The topic is too complex a minefield for any of us to bear sole responsibility and, like all good things in life, we need to work together to bring about the best possible future.

What does it mean to work together where online safety is concerned? It could be an IT security company working closely with a consultation of parents to develop products, or parents and teachers working to ensure the online education of our young people. But what about children themselves? We put a lot of onus on finding the right solutions and products to protect our kids online, but one day those kids will grow up and live without online parental control. We should think about the best way to prepare them; ‘together for a better internet’ should mean working with our children to educate, inform and protect them, so they can stand the best possible change of making the right decisions for themselves.

That’s not to say that software doesn’t play a crucial role, and ESET would encourage all parents to take care over choosing the right parental control software on the family computer. When you are doing this though, we advise you do it together with your kids. Talk them through the programmes you’re installing and select your privacy settings together, discussing why you are doing it and the kinds of threats you’re protecting the family against. As part of this conversation you can talk to your children about what they’re doing online, who they’re talking to and what kinds of things they need to be careful about in day to day online. Many kids see control settings on the internet as a block to them having fun; what they need is someone to explain their function and reasoning. By having this discussion, you’re giving your kids an element of control and responsibility over their online activities which, when paired alongside the rules and software we all need to protect ourselves, should produce better results when it comes to their internet education.

The internet is such an integral part of our lives that the earlier you start talking to kids, involving them and teaching them about their online worlds, the better the results. Creating an open dialogue will always be more effective than just putting your foot down.

Set an example; whatever you expect your kids to do, make sure you are also doing. The online world represents dangers for all of us and we can all benefit from a few more precautions. If you’re asking your kids to cover their webcam when they’re not using it, then make sure you also do it. If you’re restricting their screen time, then think about setting yourself some boundaries as well. With the damaging effects of too many screens on our health and wellbeing, it’s unlikely to have any negative repercussions.

ESET’s software, such as its ESET Parental Control, places a large emphasis on parents and children working together. It helps them to navigate online, manage what apps and websites they use, and decide – together – what’s good for them. One of the key features is age-based filters which helps to manage which apps children can and cannot access, allowing parents to consider the right restrictions for their children and to not just impose a blanket ban. Other features include setting time limits on when children can play on their devices and creating exceptions that kids can request. Parents can even send their children messages which they must acknowledge before they can continue to use their devices.

It’s elements such as these that allow children to be involved in the monitoring of their safety, and truly help parents to work together with their kids for a better internet and the best possible online world.