While socialising, the same conversation kept reaching my ears……‘Guess what happened to me the other day? I walked up behind ‘Charlie’ and I couldn’t believe what I saw on the computer screen.  They were playing a game and there was a chat window open……..’

A chat window, violent game, inappropriate images, swear words – you can substitute all of these and more into that conversation.  My ears would prick up.  I would mention parental controls and internet safety.  Phones and notepads were pulled out to jot down some ideas on how to go about this.  

These were all loving parents who would do anything to protect their children – but technology was slipping out of their grasp.

I began to assist my friends in assessing their internet safety needs and sat with them in their homes to setup parental controls, safe search settings, YouTube restrictions and Social Media Privacy settings as well as discussing the suitability of the games and apps their children were using

I developed a passion to educate parents on how to keep their children safe online.

The first time I left my eldest daughter alone on my laptop so that I could check on her younger sibling, it suddenly dawned on me that she could be clicking on anything. 

What if she had clicked into my work email or the banking website where I had been paying bills? 

Worse still, what if one of those ads on the side of the browser featuring a scantily clad woman had caught her attention? 

I quickly ran back to her side and found her still on the ABCKids website.  What a relief! And what a wake-up call.  

I was ready to use the skills I had developed over my 20 year + IT career, started researching and configuring safety settings on our laptop and mobile phones.  I wanted to know what she could (and couldn’t) access on the internet.

My goal is to impart information (including my own experiences) and practical steps that you can take to increase your child’s  safety when they are online and help them to become responsible digital citizens with healthy screen time habits.  I am dedicated to ensuring that information is shared in bite sized portions and in everyday language so that you don’t feel overwhelmed and that you are kept up-to-date with current trends.

I look forward to being by your side during your journey.