A couple of weeks ago I took the boys (one big, one small) to the Disney Store in Manchester for their Internet Safety day. My little boy is 3 and he’s all over my iPad like a rash, and can operate it about 10 times better than his Dad. This event was very timely as he’s started messing about with things he shouldn’t be. Although he’s not yet gaming and chatting with friends it’s really only a matter of time.

We arrived and all the children were given pictures to colour in while they waited for the talk to start. Sue who was hosting the session went through some things that were ok and were not ok to share on the internet, things that wouldn’t easily identify you like first names are fine, addresses and dates of birth are not.

Sue then read a story about a duck who was chatting online with his farmyard friends and got involved in bullying a pig, which is not cool. We then talked a bit about bullying and all the parents were given some leaflets about Internet safety to take home and read.

There was also a very helpful lady from the Geek Squad who we could go to with technical questions about setting up restrictions etc, which was really useful.

Here are 4 Top Tips from the session, though there’s plenty more on the Disney Club Penguin website…

1. People you don’t know are strangers. They’re not always who they say they are.
2. Be nice to people on the computer like you would in the playground.
3. Keep your personal information private.
4. If you ever get that “uh-oh” feeling, tell a grown-up you trust.

We were given heaps of information on the day which can all be found on the Disney Club Penguin website. It’s really assessable, easy to use and easy to understand with sections for children and adults, it’s all part of Disney Club Penguin’s online safety campaign, It Starts With You which aims to empower kids to take the lead in spreading positive behaviour online and give their parents the tools to better support them. Families are encouraged to learn the rules of the online road and spread the word about online safety. There are hints and tips to keep safe online at Club Penguin, as well as downloadable educational activity sheets.

For more information on online safety please check out the Disney Club Penguin website. Stay safe out there kids!