How to keep yourself & your sponsored child safe online

In this digital world it is becoming easier to share and find information at the click of a button. The ability to answer those niggling questions, find the best deal or connect with friends quickly is a revelation. But for all the advantages it brings, the internet does have another side. Protecting yourself - and those you care about - online is easier if you follow a few simple rules.

Some basic facts and rules:

• Share wisely. One of the great things about social media is sharing news with friends. But be sure not to publish information that could put you at risk… your full date of birth, email address or mobile phone number could all be used by fraudsters to access further information.
• Share wisely. It’s so important we said it twice. But this time consider what you share about others. You should feel free to share news and photos from your sponsored child - but keep their personal info to a minimum. So, talk about Sarah from Albania but please don’t share her full name.
• Consent. It is very important that we ask all individuals or guardians of children for their consent to take a photo before doing so. This consent must be freely given before the photo is taken and should be obtained from all those within an image.
• Privacy. If you are sharing photos of your sponsored child online (or any other children in your life), check your privacy settings. You want to share with your friends, but are you happy for their friends to see it too? Is it ok for anyone on the internet to see (and potentially copy) this photo?
• Guard your wallet. You should never send money or anything else to someone you’ve met through the internet.
• Children. Be aware of how children use the internet. If any children use your devices, make sure your parental controls are set-up, and monitor what they are looking at and who they are connecting with.
• Passwords. Don’t share passwords to your private email, social media or banking accounts. Create your own hard-to-guess (but easy for you to remember) passwords, using letter and numbers if possible.

Take the child safety online quiz!

"Hello! I’m Pristine. I am at the computer training centre started by World Vision. Here young people get computer training. Before World Vision came to our community, many older children dropped out of school. Now because of the training many youths are able to get good jobs.”

Pristine and her friends in North Tripura ADP in India, have learnt how to use the internet safely. How much do you know?"