You have got to learn to swim before you surf the web.

Often, when working with parents, I get the question “How do we teach our children about something this complex?” Many say that they don’t know where to start. They may feel inadequate or “technologically challenged”. If these thoughts have run through your mind; don’t worry. You are not alone.

Parenting expert, Donna Tetreault, has a perfect analogy on how parents should educate children about online dangers. (Dr Phil show, 7 October 2019). She compares how parents should educate their children about the Internet in a similar way to how we teach our children to swim.

When your child is small and does not know how to swim, you would not let them play in the swimming pool by themselves, would you? A young child who can’t swim has a high risk of drowning and every parent knows this.

Most parents take extra safety precautions, such as putting a fence around the pool and using flotation devices. In the first weeks or months, you would get into the pool to support your child as they splash around and learn to swim. You would be in the water with them, holding them and guiding them. You may even arrange swimming lessons with a professional. Whichever method you choose, a responsible adult would be in the water with your child to teach them to swim and to prevent them from drowning.

As your child’s swimming abilities improve, you will continue to supervise them to keep them safe. While they are still young, you would never leave them near the swimming pool unattended. Even when they can swim, an accident could happen. So, you would supervise for weeks or months, gradually allowing more freedom as their swimming skills improve, but always keeping an eye on them, just in case. We need to use the same approach when teaching children how to use the Internet.

This book will give you the tools to “get into the water” with your child. Education about the Internet is too important to leave for children to figure out for themselves. Parents need to be very involved in and aware of their children’s online activities. You need to be highly involved in the beginning while they learn and continue to keep watch as they do more and more online. Constant supervision is necessary to avoid online dangers. Teachers need to be as aware and involved so that the lessons learned at home can continue in the classroom, as schools introduce more technology into the learning environment.