Parents & Whānau Guide

What the kids' worlds teach, how to talk about it at home, and where to get help in New Zealand. The single biggest protective factor is simple: kids who know they can tell you anything — without losing their device — ask for help sooner.

🌙 Strangers & unwanted contact (Mystery Message Moon)

What it teaches: never share your address or photos with people met online; treat "let's chat somewhere private", "keep it secret", and "meet me in person" as red flags; stop–block–tell is always the right response, and telling never gets the child in trouble.

Why it matters: people who target children typically build friendly trust first, then push for secrecy, images or a meeting. Kids don't need scary detail — they need reliable rules, and certainty that you'll respond calmly if they come to you.

"Has anyone you only know online ever asked you to keep a secret?"
"If a message ever made you feel weird, what would you do first?"
"You will never, ever be in trouble for showing me something — deal?"

🛰️ Personal information & digital footprint (Secret Info Satellite)

What it teaches: full name, school, birthday, address and location are private; photos can leak clues (street signs, uniforms); location sharing is a decision to make together; deleted posts may already be copied — think before posting.

"Let's look at what a stranger could learn from your profile together."
"Which apps on your device know where you are? Shall we check?"
"What's something you'd never want a photo of online in five years?"

⚡ Passwords & account security (Password Power Station)

What it teaches: long passphrases beat short clever passwords; passwords are shared with parents only, never friends; different passwords per account; log out on shared devices.

"Let's invent the silliest three-word passphrase we can remember."
"Who knows your game password right now? Should they?"
Consider a family password manager and turning on two-factor authentication for important accounts.

🛸 Scams & phishing (Scam Spotters Sector)

What it teaches: urgency ("only 10 seconds left!") is the scammer's main tool; real companies never ask for passwords by email; "free gems for your login" is account theft; surprise parcel/payment texts are common NZ scams — never pay via a text link.

"What's the trick in this message?" — make scam-spotting a family game with real examples you receive.
"If a pop-up says you've won something, what's it really after?"
Agree a rule: no entering card details or paying for anything without a parent, ever.

✨ Online bullying & being an upstander (Kind Comments Constellation)

What it teaches: don't retaliate — screenshot, block, report, tell; support the person being targeted; refusing to forward embarrassing content stops the spread; pause before posting anything that could hurt.

NZ note: serious online harassment can breach the Harmful Digital Communications Act. Netsafe is the approved agency for complaints under it — you don't have to handle persistent abuse alone.

"Have you ever seen someone being picked on in a game or group chat? What happened?"
"What would you want a friend to do if it were you?"
"Show me how to report and block on your favourite app" — let them be the teacher.

🪐 Screen time, wellbeing & asking for help (Balance Orbit)

What it teaches: autoplay and notifications are designed to be hard to resist; family rules (like device-free dinner) apply to everyone; accidentally seeing upsetting content is never the child's fault and never a reason to lose the device; free help exists in NZ.

Agree rules together as a whānau — rules kids helped write get followed more.
"What's the hardest thing to stop watching or playing? Why do you think that is?"
Model it: if dinner is device-free for kids, it's device-free for adults too.

✅ Family setup checklist

Practical steps, roughly in order. Ticks are saved on this device.

Agree simple family rules together (when, where, what, and what to do when something goes wrong) and write them down
Keep devices in shared spaces for younger kids, especially at night
Set up parental controls / family accounts (Screen Time, Family Link, console family settings)
Go through privacy settings on each app together — profiles private, location off, friend requests limited
Set strong unique passphrases, enable two-factor authentication on key accounts, agree passwords are shared with parents only
Learn where the block and report buttons are on each app your child uses
Have the "you can always tell me, you won't lose your device" conversation — and repeat it often
Save Netsafe's helpline (0508 638 723) in your phone

🆘 Getting help & reporting in NZ

Netsafe — free, confidential advice for any online safety issue: call 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723), text "Netsafe" to 4282, email help@netsafe.org.nz, or report online at netsafe.org.nz/report. Helpline hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm (verified against netsafe.org.nz 22 Jul 2026).
If a child is in danger right now — call Police on 111.
Scams involving money — contact your bank immediately, then report to Netsafe.
In the app — use the platform's own report/block tools first; screenshot evidence before anything gets deleted.