LISA: Online Safety

In today’s world, children have access to screens and the internet from increasingly early ages for both entertainment and education. And while access differs greatly between families, one thing that parents are all equally concerned with is the safety of their children while they are online.

Lisa, Youth Librarian at Oakleigh Library, is passionate about online safety for young children and regularly integrates picture books about this topic in her storytime programs.

“Online access is now quite prevalent at a young age, and parents do well to understand the pitfalls to ensure their children use devices safely,” she begins.

“Parents aren’t always proactive in seeking information, they may not know that story books can provide the guidance their family needs,” Lisa says. “It’s why I feel it’s important to share stories as part of Storytime and make these recommendations.”

Lisa hopes to increase parental awareness of online safety and encourage more interactive screen time.

Troll Stinks by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross is the first title Lisa recommends. It’s about two billy goats who find a phone, take pictures, selfies and videos, and progress from behaviour that is innocent and silly to distinctly mean.

“The billy goats make assumptions about the troll who they bully by sharing photos and videos that put the troll in a bad light,” describes Lisa. “But they learn their lesson when they discover that troll is not who they made him out to be.”

“The story demonstrates that if you’re not careful about how you behave online, that people might be hurt by what you say.”

Lisa recommends this book to families with Children aged 4-8 years.

Next up Lisa shares The Internet Is Like a Puddle by Shona Innes and Irisz Agócs. It’s written by a psychologist and is very positive about what the internet offers.

“The authors describe the internet as being fun, like a puddle,” describes Lisa. “The internet is fun, but it’s also tricky and not always what it appears to be. You can get in too deep.”

This picture book talks about moderating time on the internet and reminds readers of what they might miss if they spend too long online. It also encourages children to ask an adult for help if they see something that worries them.

The book ends on a positive note, because while there are plenty of risks online, there is a lot that can be enjoyed if one knows how to navigate the risks.

Lisa cites ages 3-8 as well as parents as the target audience.

Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 by Barbara Vecker ad Peter Viska was created by the eSafety commissioner. It’s about a family of sugar gliders and establishes rules about using online devices safely.

“Parents need to set an example,” Lisa says. “Parents also need to follow the rules. And this family of sugar gliders demonstrate how it feels when a child sees inappropriate content.”

“The story shares what a child should do if they see something that worries them. And because the illustrations appeal to very little kids, those aged as young as two can potentially learn and understand.”

While Lisa recommends this book to children aged 2-6 years, she sees parents benefiting from the story too, as it helps them learn how to manage their child’s online experiences.

Next up, Lisa recommends If You Give A Mouse An iPhone by Ann Droyd.

“This story demonstrates what happens when you give a child a device for convenience,” Lisa describes. “While it might be necessary at times, the story reminds us what can happen if they stay on the device for too long.”

While devices are widely used and accepted, without moderation a child can miss out on other important, enjoyable, and formative experiences.

“It’s all about balance,” explains Lisa. “The book reminds us to look up, look around, and mindfully seek a balance between the internet and real life.”

“See the world in the world, rather than seeing the world online.”

The last book Lisa selects for her topic is The Fabulous Friend Machine by Nick Bland. It’s about a popular chicken who finds a phone and makes lots of online friends and forgets about her friends on the farm where she lives. When she meets her online friends, they turn out to be wolves.

Lisa describes how the story warns readers about getting too wrapped up with what they are seeing online.

“It has very simple ideas,” she says, “It’s fun and would appeal to children as young as two and as old as eight.”

“Children are never too young to start learning about online safety,” Lisa says. “Children should be prepared to identify and respond accordingly to risks as they arise, so they should start learning about online safety before they start using internet connected devices.”

“We have links on our website to more resources, and plenty of books in our library collections about managing screen time and online safety.”

You can search the catalogue for Lisa’s recommendations, or speak to a Youth Librarian at any branch to find more titles that suit the needs of your child or family.

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