The Online Road Safety project has new guidance on how being early is best.
It is important to remember that simply restricting or forbidding the use of certain digital devices or applications does not protect the child. The best safety skill that a parent can offer is to be present in the child’s everyday digital life and to advice the child on how to speak up if they encounter content that is harmful for their age and developmental stage.
About the Online road safety project
Most people recognise the importance of – and feel comfortable – teaching young children how to keep safe in their communities and in traffic.
But how do we teach children to look both directions online?
Where and what are the traffic lights that indicate STOP or WALK?
Where are the zebra crossings that will help children to move safely from one place to another online or to cross the intersections of online and offline life?
Where can you run freely online and which roads do you need to take extra caution to cross or stay away from altogether?
This project promotes a new perspective on how we teach children how to stay safe online, bringing us closer to the reality of where children play, interact and learn today – online, offline and at the intersections between the two.
The Council of the Baltic Sea States is a partner to this project, lead by Protect Children, Finland.