Every day, children around the country stumble across unsafe and dangerous content online.
Now a new campaign is calling on the Government to do more to protect our tamariki online.
Joining Seven Sharp this evening, parenting expert Holly Brooker, who’s behind the campaign, said she wants to see changes to what can be accessed online.
“We’re petitioning the Government to make some changes around child protection online, especially in the space of illegal sexual content.”
She said that internationally, hundreds of thousands of websites are blocked because they’re illegal.
“The Government has a filter set up that blocks illegal content, and there’s a list of over 200,000 URLs that are internationally blocked.
“Our Government is only blocking 527 of these awful URLs, so we’re calling on them to update the filter to do a better job of child protection online.”
Brooker is also wanting internet providers to have better filters so children are protected online.
As for the amount of screen time our children get – many parents are asking, at what age should I give my kid a phone?
“The kind of idea is that we should hold off as long as possible,” Brooker said.
“I know that my child will soon be needing a phone because he’s getting to that older age.
“But it won’t be having internet access available.”
She said that giving kids unrestricted internet access can be a bit of a dangerous idea.
“We’re often giving our kids free, unlimited access to the internet, and that’s like giving someone a Ferrari without a driver’s licence.”
And what if you feel like your kids are spending too much time on screens and want to reel it back?
Brooker said talking with your whānau is a great idea.
“Have a family meeting, sit down with the kids and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re thinking about screen time’.
“Have a conversation to find out what they’re thinking and make a plan together.”
