Guidelines for Secure Internet Navigation During Vacation Periods: Encouraging Parental Supervision Online
In the digital age, ensuring children's safety online is a shared responsibility. The Voluntary Self-Regulation of Multimedia Service Providers (FSM e.V.) in Germany has stepped up to the challenge, offering practical advice for parents to guide and protect their children in their online activities.
Co-financed by the European Union under the Saferinternet.de umbrella, FSM operates a complaints office where anyone can report problematic and potentially illegal online content. The FSM Complaints Office is available for free and checks whether there has been a violation of applicable youth protection guidelines.
FSM's guidelines emphasise open communication, awareness, and safety measures. Parents are encouraged to discuss risks openly with their children, such as sharing private pictures or meeting strangers from the internet. It's important to review apps together, understand what they do, and who the children interact with, all while respecting their privacy.
Setting agreed rules for online behaviour is another key recommendation. Instead of strict surveillance, parents and children should agree together on rules that balance oversight and respect for the child's privacy. If children want to meet someone they met online, it's crucial that an adult knows about the meeting, ideally with a phone call in advance, and that any meetings occur in public, safe places during daylight hours with adult supervision if possible.
Maintaining ongoing dialogue with children is essential to encourage them to share their online experiences and concerns. If children hesitate to talk with parents about online safety, they can be directed to reputable resources that offer trustworthy information on safe internet use.
FSM also advises parents to consider age ratings for streaming and gaming content to ensure it matches the child's developmental stage. Many online services offer technical protective measures, such as youth protection programs, child safety features, and age-appropriate presets. Parents can activate child protection profiles on streaming services and gaming platforms to display only suitable content.
FSM accompanies providers in the implementation of such solutions and ensures quality and orientation through independent testing procedures. The organisation supervises and advises a wide range of companies from the telecommunications and online industries, including Meta, and is recognised by the Commission for Youth Media Protection (KJM) for the area of telemedia.
Parents don't need to be digital experts, but should stay in dialogue, try new things together, and pay attention to age-appropriate settings. Elternguide.online, a cooperation project of several organisations including FSM, provides current and practical information on media use, filterable by topic and child's age.
During the summer vacation, FSM offers practical tips for parents to guide and protect their children online. Parents should perform a digital check-up with their children, reviewing device settings, apps, and online profiles for safety and age-appropriateness.
By following these guidelines, parents can empower themselves to protect children while fostering responsible digital behaviour and trust. FSM has been committed since 1997 to ensuring children and young people grow up with a safer and better internet.
- Parents can encourage open communication about online safety with their children, discussing topics like sharing private pictures or meeting strangers from the internet, and reviewing apps together.
- To ensure the safety of children online, parents should set agreed rules for online behavior with their children, balancing oversight and respect for their privacy.
- If children want to meet someone they met online, it's crucial that an adult knows about the meeting, with a phone call in advance, and that any meetings occur in public, safe places during daylight hours with adult supervision if possible.
- FSM advises parents to consider age ratings for streaming and gaming content, and to activate child protection profiles on streaming services and gaming platforms to display only suitable content.
