Tellonym

Exploring apps, sites and games together is a great way to involve your child in the decision-making process.

Be positive about what you see, but also be open about your concerns. Ask them what they think is appropriate and what worries them.

If you decide it’s not appropriate, then make sure you explain your reasons why (and be prepared for an unhappy child).

You might decide it’s ok for your child to use. If so, make sure you follow the tips below to ensure it’s as safe as possible. And work out a time when you’ll next discuss the app.

Help your child think about what they share online and who sees it. Compare it to what they would be happy to share offline.

You might want to start by asking:

• What kinds of things do you share online?
• Should we share everything?
• What shouldn’t we share?

Use examples that are easy for them to understand: “You wouldn’t give your number to somebody you don't know on the street. Is somebody online you don't know any different?”

Listen to their answers. And be positive and encouraging.

Remind them that they shouldn’t share private things, such as:

• personal information, like emails, names, phone numbers, school names
• photos of themselves with strangers
• photos of your body, such as sexual photos or videos
• gossip

Explain that you understand the internet is a great place to play, create, learn and connect. But remind them they can talk to you if anything upsets or worries them.

Reassure them that you won’t overreact – you’re just looking out for them.

And if they feel like they can’t speak to you, tell them to talk to an adult they trust, like a teacher or Childline.

Because Tellonym encourages people to ask and answer questions anonymously, there's a high potential for cyberbullying and online abuse.

In settings, there's a tool called Wordfilter that lets you add up to 10 words so messages containing them won't be sent to you. You can also set language filters from very low to very high. Take the time to explore these filters with your child and decide what's right for you.

If your child comes across something upsetting - about themselves or someone else - they might want to block the user that posted it. Tellonym has instructions on how to block other people.
 
Explore these safety features together and remember to let your child know that they can always talk to you about worrying things they see online. 

It's important to check the privacy settings on your child's Tellonym account. Most settings are set to public by default, so we recommend changing these to private. This way your child shouldn't be contacted by people they don't know and their location will be kept private.

You can visit Tellonym for specific information on privacy options.

Talk to your child about the different options and decided together which ones you should use.