Stay safe online with our safety guidelines, which includes special information to help parents protect their children when they use internet services.
Protect your privacy
Consider carefully before publishing any identifiable information about yourself or your family. Find out about available filters and adjust your privacy settings so your profile and certain information cannot be seen by outsiders.
Beware of information from unproven sources
Don’t believe everything you read, just because it is online.Carefully assess the validity of the information you view, based on its origin, the reputation of the source, and how it’s reported elsewhere.
Remember the internet is a public space
Anything you write or share on the internet, on web pages that can be seen by anyone with an online connection, may be considered as public. Once you have posted information, even if you delete it soon afterwards, it may circulate quickly and easily (and potentially for an indefinite time). Be aware of these facts before you post or share anything online.
Learn what is considered offensive or prohibited conduct
Ensure that you behave appropriately, and learn how to report any inappropriate behaviour.
Copy and share with care
Copying content directly from a website and submitting it as your own work may be illegal. Copying and distributing music or media may also be illegal. Make sure you are aware of any copyright restrictions on anything that you copy and use elsewhere.
Be careful meeting online contacts in the real world
If you plan to meet someone you’ve been in contact with online, make sure you tell close friends or family about who you’re meeting and where, and make sure that your meeting place is in a safe, relatively busy public place.
Stop and think before uploading images from your mobile device
This is a quick and easy way to share photos, but you need to be sure that the photos are appropriate to post online.
Mobile devices might contain as much sensitive information as a computer
Emails, contacts and even passwords pre-entered into websites on your mobile device may still be held on your handset – so take steps to protect and secure your mobile phone.
Be careful about sharing your location
Some services allow you to share your location with friends and other contacts, but only share this information with people you trust. Think: do you want anybody and everybody to know exactly where you are (and therefore where you are not) at any given time?
Always remember that data charges may apply
When you use mobile internet services it may involve transmission of large amounts of data through your service provider’s network. Contact your network service provider for information about data transmission charges.