She advises parents to talk to their children about online privacy issues, ensuring that they know to never to share personal information.
“Teach your children to respect people’s privacy and don’t share anyone else’s personal information online without permission,” she said.
She has stressed the importance of passwords.
“Teach your children to understand the importance of passwords, keeping them private and changing them regularly,” she said.
“Learn how to recognise a scam. If it is too good to be true, it probably is.
“Make sure the apps you allow your kids to use are age appropriate and set boundaries around use.”
Regarding publishing photos at school events, Ms Pendergast urges parents to be conscious of who is visible in their photos.
“Consider the fact that children in the background of photos or videos you take at your child’s school may be on ‘no publish’ lists.
Safe on Social Media supports the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, working with schools and youth organisations, government departments and businesses of all sizes.
IGS continues to work with organisations such as Safe on Social Media to enhance the School’s knowledge of the cyber world, and how best to approach it safely.