Digital Safety

Technology and devices offer a huge range of opportunities for our children and young people. They can use them to learn, create and communicate in an ever-growing number of ways. However, alongside these benefits there are many risks that young people with autism may be more susceptible to.

Today, especially to young adults, how you are perceived in the digital world is as important as the real world. This is true of any young person, regardless of whether or not they have autism; however, those with an autism diagnosis can be overly trusting of others, making them even more vulnerable.

Our natural desire is to keep children safe and this can only be done through the education and support that we can all offer them – both at home and school. It is important that parents are equally able to guide and support their children in the online world so that they enjoy the benefits whilst avoiding the potential risks.

This page therefore aims to support you, as parents, with advice, resources and guidance.

Open Communication with Your Child:

The best defences against any online risks are openness, awareness and education: talk with your children about their online lives, share their experiences and learn from them, help them to use technology positively and responsibly, and give them boundaries, guidance and support.

The Thinkuknow website offer some useful and simple to follow information on how to discuss these topics with your son/daughter.

Social Media Age Registrations:

Social media sites typically generate the money they need to operate through targeted advertising. This is achieved through using the registration information provided by its users. It is therefore a possibility that if someone has used a false age to register on a site, they will receive inappropriate material.

Additional Useful Websites for Information:

Whether you’re a new internet user or an expert, the advice and tools provided below can help you navigate the web safely and securely.