Exclusive: Mum-of-three Giovanna Fletcher on 'overwhelming' online safety concerns for parents
Like many of us parents, the author, actress and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher is mindful of keeping her children safe online.
The former I’m a Celebrity winner, who shares sons Buzz, 10, Buddy, eight, and Max, six, with her husband, McFly band member Tom Fletcher, has opened up about tackling the "overwhelming" topic after coming across "conflicting information" for parents.
She teamed up with the messaging platform, Snapchat, to help parents navigate conversations around online safety with their teens.
New research by the app reveals that 44% of parents regularly check in with their teens about their online activities, but just a fifth are unsure about how to monitor these activities.
Encouragingly, nearly two-thirds of 13 to 17-year-olds spoke with someone or sought help after experiencing an online risk - up 6% on last year - however, the teens surveyed were less likely to tell their parents about more serious online topics, like sexual risks, content on drugs and self-harm.
It’s clear that communication between parents and teens on this subject is key. Snapchat is launching a new Parent Guide developed in partnership with Childnet, the internet safety charity, to help parents navigate online safety with their teens.
Giovanna told HELLO!: “I think as parents, it's quite an overwhelming thing. When the Internet started up we were teenagers ourselves - the internet connection wasn't great, and you kind of muddled your way through - whereas now everything's so speedy, everything is instantly there.
“I think for a long time there was a free for all… just go on it and sign up. There wasn't an age restriction for lots of places, and now it feels like people are actually taking it very seriously. Snapchat has a 13+ age [requirement], which I think is a really good age for that limit to be set at.
“I've got a 10-year-old. He's not on Snapchat, he's too young, but he and his mates love chatting. I love the fact that they’re sociable and are able to communicate when they're not at school, but it’s all about doing it safely and being able to have those conversations.”
Online safety in the Fletcher household
We ask if Giovanna and Tom have thought about how they’ll approach online safety with their children when they turn 13.
“It's so interesting, isn't it?” says Giovanna. “When the kids were young, I was like, ‘Oh, well, by the time they get to the age, everything will be sorted out and we'll know what we're doing’, but I still feel like there's so much conflicting information, that you really have to do your research and figure out a way that works for you.
“We talk a lot to our children about online safety. For instance, if they see something online and take it as fact - it’s looking things like that, and there’s stranger danger.
“You cannot get away from your child being online. They simply are. They use the Internet for school. They have iPads at school, they have a computer at school. They are going to have times when they are sitting at a computer without you there or without an adult, literally with them.
“So, it's more about having those conversations where, ‘We know it's going be in your life so let's not let's not pretend it's not.’
The star tells us about a little white lie they used to tell their children.
Giovanna reveals: “I can remember when they were younger, with their iPads, we'd say, ‘They only work on planes and long car journeys’, and our kids fell for that for a very long time.
“Then obviously lockdown happened, and they had to be on a computer to do their lessons. In a way that was beneficial for us because we were able to see how many brilliant spaces there are online for kids, whether that's educationally or socially.”
Healthy screen habits
“Our phones are never at the table when we're eating,” says Giovanna.
“We're not constantly scrolling when we're trying to have a conversation with them (the children), and they're trying to have a conversation with us – it’s just making sure that there are pockets where it's appropriate and knowing that the rest of the time, it's not.
“I imagine it will evolve as they get older. When I was 13, I was travelling to London every day and I had a phone, and I would use that to communicate with my mum and dad and my friends who I was meeting at school. So, I think it's a really useful thing to have.
“It's about us helping them create good habits, which I think we are finding. We've all suddenly had this device in our hands and been hooked to it but are now realising we need to find a better balance.”
How to talk to your kids
When it comes to peer pressure from friends about smartphones and apps, Giovanna believes it’s up to each family to decide how to manage online safety with their teens.
“I do think it's down to the individual family and parent to go, ‘Well, now is the right time for you’ and not being sort of forced into doing it,” she explains.
“I feel like you have to have big talks about online safety and what it means to be out there in the world before setting up that account. But it can be fun - it doesn't have to be like a serious, ‘Let's sit down’ [thing]. It's just having a discussion.
“I think the heavier you are with it, the less likely they are to come to you when something does happen, or if there is anything on there that they don't feel comfortable with.
“I do think you have to monitor yourself in that sense and how that's all presented.”
