Digital parenting: protect and connect your family

Today’s digital world presents both opportunities and challenges for parents to work out a balanced approach to online entertainment and education for their children. From maintaining device security, to prioritising your loved ones’ well-being, to building family connections, there’s lots to consider when it comes to digital parenting. 

Keeping your kids safe online while allowing them to remain connected and technologically literate can be a challenge. As your kids seek greater independence and social connection, you can help them on their online journey with advanced tools and security technology and equip them with safe digital habits.

With the right resources, services, and tools you can help keep your kids as well as your whole family safe and connected. 

Here are some tips to help you navigate digital parenting.

Online safety and security for your family

Safety and security are understandably two of the most important priorities when it comes to the digital space. As children become more active online, parents become more aware of the need to help guide their online experiences. 

Luckily, today there’s a wide range of options for parents to choose from network protection to education to support safety online. 

Tech that protects your home network

Optus and its partners offer a variety of innovative products to help you protect your family while surfing the web and using internet-connected devices. From the Microsoft Family Safety app available on Microsoft 365 via SubHub, to Optus Wi-Fi Secure powered by McAfee, to smart security devices, there are many options available to keep your family safe.

The Microsoft Family Safety app is available with Microsoft Family plans, which is part of SubHub’s partnered platforms. It includes advanced features such as location alerts, drive safety reports, and online activity summaries. It’s a great app to help your family develop healthy tech habits, while also giving you valuable insight into what kind of safety measures your family may need (e.g. screen time limits, data security, search filters). Accessible and designed for easy use by parents, Microsoft Family Safety is a new piece of tech that gives you peace of mind while your kids venture into the internet.

For online browsing and network security, Optus WiFi Secure powered by McAfee offers premium security measures to protect the privacy of your WiFi connection. It’s a security software designed to keep hackers at bay while also offering privacy protection. It actively monitors for malicious websites and malware, and also blocks attempts and threats from accessing the devices connected to your WiFi. Optus WiFi Secure is included in all of our Optus Plus Family Entertainer nbn® plans at no extra cost.

Smart security devices can also be a big help keeping your home safe and secure. Security cameras, video doorbells, and smart locks all protect your home through a linked network. Whether you’re home or away, smart devices mean you can access and check in on your home whenever you’d like and keep a lookout for your pets when they’re home alone. You can purchase a wide range of smart security devices at Optus.

Implementing helpful parental controls

It’s important to create a safe space for your children as they explore the online world. Another way to improve safety and security in your family network is by using parental controls. Today many modern devices and network systems offer parental safety controls so that you can rest easy while your young kids surf the internet. These include app and game filters, screen time limits, device limits, and 24/7 location sharing.

Prioritising digital safety education

With children online at younger ages, it’s important to support their knowledge and ability to navigate challenges online.  Introduced in 2013, Optus Digital Thumbprint provides digital safety and wellbeing resources and education for young people and families. From quizzes on online safety to parent guides on cyberbullying and digital wellbeing, learn more about them below.

Passphrases, passwords and MFA

A strong passphrase or password ups your online protection and multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds that extra layer that takes security from good to awesome.

Check out our guides to:

• Understand what personal information is and why people want it
• Create strong passphrases and passwords 
• Learn how to use multi-factor authentication 
• Know what to do if you’ve been hacked 

Hackers, scammers and fake friends

There’s lots of ways to level up your online security game and protect your personal information from hackers, scammers and fake friends.

Hackers, scammers and fake friends are different types of cyber criminals. There are many different ways they try to steal personal information, but the good news is that we’ve got some simple digital defence moves to fight against them.

Check out our guides to:

• Understand how your personal information is used by cyber criminals
• Identify different types of cybercrimes
• Recognise ways to improve your digital defence skills
• Find more help when you need it

Blocking unwanted contact

Unwanted contact can come from a stranger or from someone you know. It can feel pretty uncomfortable, but luckily, there are heaps of ways to prevent or stop unwanted contact from ruining you and your loved ones’ time online.

Check out our guides to:

• Understand what unwanted contact is
• Learn the signs of unwanted contact
• Keep yourself safe from unwanted contact
• Learn what to do if you experience unwanted contact
• Learn the basics to blocking and reporting accounts
• Find more help when you need it

Taking care of your family’s digital health and well-being

Keeping your family members healthy while navigating the online world is easier once your kids learn safe online behaviour and you’re able to teach and reinforce them. We can help you do just that with our educational resources.

From how to be safe on social media and online games, to cyber-bullying, to the main types of fake news, there are many risks involved in using the internet. However, just as there are risks, there are also many positives that come out of the internet, such as a wider world view, free education, and new forms of entertainment. As such, it’s important for your kids to learn safe online behaviour so they can start or continue to use the internet to their benefit.

Practising safe online behaviour

The Optus Digital Thumbprint workshops and parents resources can help parents and teachers support kids’ online journey. They are free, curriculum-aligned workshops designed for primary and secondary school students. 

Our fun, interactive workshops include a wide range of topics including staying safe on apps and games, keeping information private online, cybersecurity, and cyberbullying and respectful relationships.  Optus Digital Thumbprint has been endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.

Resources for teaching your kids

It’s one thing to have your kids practise safe online behaviour and another to actually teach and demonstrate such behaviour to them. To help parents Optus offers many educational resources for parents so you can have the right conversation with your kids. You can learn through our series of family articles (including  and meeting your mobile needs) as well as video resources. 

Balancing time online

Building healthy online habits can improve your physical and mental well-being.

Achieving digital balance means you have time for tech as well as other things in your life. 

Check out our guides to:

• Understand what digital balance is and why it’s important
• Look out for signs that you could use a break from your screen 
• Find ways to regain digital balance
• Find more help when you need it 

Cyberbullying and respectful relationships

Cyberbullying is never OK. Together we can create a more kind, inclusive and respectful world. 

• Check out our guides to:
• Understand what cyberbullying is
• Know what to do if it happens to you or a mate
• Learn how to report cyberbullying
• Find more help when you need it 

The right tools to keep your family connected

Keeping your family connected is just as important as keeping it protected. As a result, we’ve designed a number of helpful tools for parents like you to both protect and connect your family to the best of your ability.

One advanced tool from Optus Living Network that can help you keep your family protected and connected is Optus Pause. Optus Pause lets you control your family’s online time so that you don’t miss your real moments together. Free for eligible Optus customers and designed to enhance your family time, Optus Pause is a simple solution to online distractions.

Many parents are looking for ways to better manage their family’s technology habits and seeking more of a balanced approach. There are many resources available at Optus to help you balance your kids’ safety, wellbeing, and entertainment sources in the online world. 

Find out everything you need to know to connect your family safely to our network.

The Optus Digital Thumbprint program is a free program that teaches young people to partake in online activities safely.

If you’re after a parental control app, Microsoft 365 offers the Family Safety mobile app which helps you to create healthy tech habits and protect the ones you love. Get 1 month of Microsoft 365 on us at Optus SubHub (not available for Prepaid).

Making sure your family takes a digital breather regularly is important. Press “pause” on the home’s WiFi during your family dinner time with Optus Pause and turn attention to valuable real-life conversation rather than online chat. Free for eligible Optus customers via the My Optus app.