February brought us Safer Internet Day and as the world becomes increasingly connected via technology, you may wonder how to make sure your child is safe online. 

However, it is just as important for children to understand how privacy keeps them safe in the real world, as it is online.

In this article, we will explore how to talk to children in an age-appropriate way about what privacy is, understand why it is important and help them to stay safe both online and offline.

While sometimes our constant exposure to media may make us think that abductions by strangers and bad things happen every day, it is important to remember that these occurrences are still very rare.

However, from a young age, it is important to teach children about what is and what isn’t acceptable, in regards to sharing with others.

When talking to children about privacy, it’s important to try and tailor this to their age group, as overloading a younger child with information about stranger danger may be overwhelming and even scary.

Children of preschool age (two and three-year-olds) will not yet know what a stranger is or be able to tell who’s harmless and who’s not, so it’s best to focus on basic safety rules and demonstrate safety behaviors. 

Around age four, many children will have heard about strangers and so this is a good time to start a conversation about how to stay safe.

Explain that a stranger is someone that they don’t know and discuss that while it is okay to talk to someone new when you are with them, it is not okay to talk to unknown adults on their own. 

Having a plan to follow if you become separated when out and about is also a useful idea.

You may tell your child that if they get lost in a shop, for example, to go to where you pay for things, tell someone they are lost and not move from there. 

You can also tell them that if they are approached by a stranger, to go straight to the person who’s taking care of them (whether that’s you or another caregiver). 

Young children also learn well through repetition, so remind them of these rules whenever the opportunity arises, for example, in places where there are likely to be bigger crowds or if they get a new device.