Step seven – Plan with them - Netsafe – social media and online safety helpline

Step seven – Plan with them

This is step seven of our Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit. You can find all other steps as accessible web content here. Plan with them Young people need to know where to get help. Let your child know what is available if they experience challenges. Do you want them to talk to you, whānau, a trusted adult,…

1st November 20219th February 2022

This is step seven of our Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit. You can find all other steps as accessible web content here.

Plan with them

Young people need to know where to get help.

Let your child know what is available if they experience challenges. Do you want them to talk to you, whānau, a trusted adult, their school or Netsafe?

It is usually a big step when young people ask for help. Netsafe research shows young people choose not to seek support when something goes wrong online. They often ignore the problem or try to fix it themselves, thinking parents will take technology away in response.

If a young person comes to you, focus on fixing the issue, not punishing those involved or confiscating devices – even if they did something wrong.

If you remove access to technology, you’re less likely to be the first port of call next time something happens.

Many families find it useful to record their expectations in an agreement. You can find the Family Safe Online Treaty at the link below.

This agreement helps to structure the process of setting expectations and planning:

Download Netsafe’s Family Safe Online Treaty (PDF, 40KB)

For further information, visit netsafe.org.nz/plan.

Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit

This is the final step in our seven-step framework Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit. It’s designed to help parents and whānau with digital parenting in a rapidly changing world.

You can will find the other steps as accessible individual pages here, or download the full Online Whānau Gaming Toolkit (PDF, 37MB).

CONTACT NETSAFE

If you’re concerned about the immediate safety of you or someone else, please call 111. If you want help or expert incident advice, you can contact us. Our service is free, non-judgemental and available seven days a week.