Information for parents

Basic advice

  • If your child has a mobile phone, the most important thing you can do to talk to him or her about mobile and online safety. Make sure that your child knows you can be approached with any questions.
  • Monitor what your child is doing on his or her mobile device. If you notice websites or messages with content that may not be suitable for a child, make sure you talk to your child about this.
  • Consider setting up the phone account with a billing limit, so that your child cannot accidentally spend more money than expected. (Prepaid options are normally the most common.)
  • Make sure that your child understands that promotions such as “free” or with “you have won a prize” might be misleading. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Encourage your child not to click on links in unsolicited SMS or MMS messages, or in unsolicited email messages.
  • Make sure that you check your child’s mobile phone bill. Look for any subscription or content services that you have not authorised. Be aware that these services can be activated by someone else using your child’s phone. Make sure you child is aware of the risks of lending his or her phone to a friend.

Hardware/software support

Some models of phone and some operating systems have built in parental controls:

Other links

There are many resources available to parents online with advice on protecting children.

While we hope these links are useful, WASPA cannot be held responsible for the contents of third party web sites.