If your child has come across something upsetting online, the first thing to remember is to ’stay calm’.  If an adult in a  child’s life reacts strongly, the child can sometimes mimic the anxiety and concern of their caregiver(s) even when the young child doesn’t understand the reason for the anxiety.

If someone online has inappropriately contacted your child, sent your child unsuitable material, cyberbullied, or threatened your child, you can contact your local online safety agency.  You can also contact that agency if you need to talk about content your child has encountered online.  You are  welcome to email us (feedback@hectorsworld.co.nz ) as well.

What negative content might children encounter?
Along with many positive things, children may encounter some things online which could have a negative effect. This material might include:

• Scary text, e.g., a chain letter which threatens harm if not forwarded on.
• Scary images, e.g., an image or clip from a horror movie or intense news image.
• Images of violence, e.g., a picture or clip of someone being executed or beaten.
• Sexual images or text, from mild to very explicit  pornography.
• Hateful content, e.g., racist material.
• Illegal material, e.g., child sexual abuse material, age restricted material, bestiality, necrophilia, extreme violence etc. 

How might they encounter it?
Children are often curious about some of the above content, but it is also easy for them to come across these things accidentally, or against their will. A friend may forward a chain letter, an older sibling might show them an image, they might follow a link in the history of a web-browser or a link that is designed to look innocent but actually hosts harmful material.

If your child has had a serious response to negative online material, click here for more information.

After the event
Once your child is not feeling so upset, it can be helpful to provide context for what they have seen so that they can understand how the material was made, whether it was real, how the material fits with your family’s values, as well as giving the young person a chance to ask questions. This discussion is important even if it seemed it was ‘no big deal’ at the time. If the incident happened on a home computer, you can look at ways to make that access safer for your child.

If you do encounter illegal content, you may be able to report it. See the ‘Helpful Links’ page under ‘reporting child sexual abuse material’.