The mid-year school holiday presents a welcome break, but as many parents maintain regular working hours while their children are at home, this is a stressful period of wondering whether they are safe.
ADT has issued safety tips that parents can share with their children.
“It is important that they know to always keep entry and exit doors locked, and that nobody is to enter the property without your permission,” Mr Theunis Kotze, ADT’s inland regional manager, advises.
“If you have a home-security system teach them how to activate and deactivate it and how and when to use other security devices like panic buttons.”
He adds that it is a good idea to have a list of emergency contact numbers, including the 10111 number, near the telephone and to explain to children when and how it should be used.
Teaching your children how to be safe online is a must as winter months mean more time indoors, which are often spent in front of a computer.
• Never post any personal information online – like an address, email address or mobile number.
• Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself. Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online most people can see it and may be able to download it, it’s not just yours anymore.
• Keep your privacy settings as secure as possible.
• Never give out your passwords.
• Don’t befriend people you don’t know.
• Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Your child should always tell you if an online contact they have never met suggests they meet.
• Remember that not everyone is who they say they are online.
• Think carefully about what you say before you post something online.
• Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree with them.
• If a child sees something online that makes them feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried, they should leave the website, turn off their computer and tell someone immediately.
Children and teenagers should also be cautious of shopping malls which are far busier during the holidays and a popular hangout for older kids. If your child is going to a movie or to meet friends, they need to look after their belongings and look out for each other.
“Busy malls present a prime opportunity for pick-pockets. Teach your children to hold on tightly to their handbags, wallets and cellphones. It is also important that, should they become separated from their friends, they head straight to the mall information desk or to security and try to track them down from there,” concludes Kotze.
