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Parents

How can we keep our kids safe online?
The Internet is a fantastic resource for kids to learn through exploration and discovery. However while we recognise there are learning opportunities on the web, we also know that parents are justifiably concerned about their children’s safety as they surf, learn, and play in this medium. So how can we protect our kids online? To follow are a few guidelines:

Review sites before kids use them
Unlike television, the internet allows us to look at sites before our kids see them. Before your child checks out a website, you can review it to ensure that the material is appropriate for your child.

Read privacy policies on websites
It is important that parents read the privacy policies of the sites their children visit. The policy should outline what happens when a child enters a competition, or when a child answers a survey or poll etc. We recommend you visit the complete Privacy section within our site. A few of the major points outlined in our Privacy Policy (link to Privacy Statement) are as follows:

What happens if a child enters a competition?
When a child enters a competition or promotion run by DMAG we may ask for personal information - this may include name, e-mail address, gender and postcode. When this happens we will advise them at the time if the information is being gathered for a purpose not made clear in this policy. We will request parental consent for any competitions that involve games of chance. Promotions and competitions run by DMAG may be sponsored by companies other than DMAG, or may be co-sponsored by DMAG and another company. Some information collected during a promotion may be shared with the sponsor.

What happens if a child answers a survey or poll?
DMAG may occasionally ask site visitors to complete surveys or polls about things they do and don't like, or what they think about a famous person, a new TV show etc. We do this so that we can create a better site and a better magazine for kids to enjoy. These responses also help us to sell advertising space and so keep the DMAG website free and the cover price of the magazine as low as possible.

How does DMAG use information about kids and what happens to it?
Certain personal information is requested on becoming a member of dmag.com.au, including your child’s name, email address, postcode and date of birth.
Some of this information (including sensitive information) is essential for us to be able to accurately identify who is entitled to member-privileged services, and as such is mandatory. Other types of information are collected to help us profile who is using these services and what their interests are. Information of this type is optional and need only be filled in if you wish to do so.
We value your trust in dmag.com.au. Your information will be held in the strictest confidence. The information we collect from your child’s use of our site enables us to provide a better service that is tailored to your child’s needs and helps us to identify the areas of our site that are popular and those that are not.
DMAG will not disclose any personal information about your child except under the following circumstances:
(i) You would reasonably expect us to use the personal information for that purpose; and
(ii) That other purpose is related to the primary purpose; or
(iii) You consent to such use; or
(iv) When required by Law.
DMAG may, from time to time, send kids an e-mail regarding products and services. Occasionally these promotion-related e-mail messages may include advertisements targeted at children. Please be aware that DMAG, our advertisers, or other websites that may now or in the future have links on our site, may collect personally identifiable information about users. The information practices of those websites linked to DMAG are not covered by our privacy statement.

What are cookies and how do they work?
A "cookie" is a text file containing information about your website preferences which is stored by your browser on your hard disk. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer.
Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. The use of cookies is an industry standard and you will find most major websites use them.
DMAG does not use cookies or IP address tracking to retrieve personal information from your computer. DMAG however uses certain third-party advertising services to display advertising for our advertisers. These third-party services may place a cookie on your computer for the purposes of ad tracking and presentation. DMAG does not share personally identifiable information about visitors with any advertising service.

Complaints about Internet Content
Members of the public may complain to the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) ( link to: http://www.aba.gov.au/internet/) about Internet content which is, or may be, prohibited by law.

What you can complain about
Internet content does not include ordinary email or information that is accessed in real time without being previously stored, such as chat services and voice over the internet. Detailed information on how to complain and what you can complain about (link to: http://www.aba.gov.au/internet/complaints/complaints.htm) can be found at the ABA website.

Who can make a complaint
To make a complaint about Internet content, you must be one of the following:
- an Australian resident; or
- a body corporate that carries on activities in Australia; or the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory.

How to make a complaint
You can find detailed information on how to complain on the ABA’s website (link to: http://www.aba.gov.au/internet/complaints/complaints.htm).

Tips for keeping your kids safe online
Close supervision is strongly recommended, make the internet a family activity.
Show your children how to set up ‘favourites’ or ‘bookmarks’ of suitable sites, and keep an eye on the sites your children are bookmarking.
Explain to your children the need for caution with online strangers and encourage them to use an online nickname rather than their real name.
Investigate any chat rooms or online clubs children may want to explore and use the telephone or other means to check they are legitimate.
If children want to set up an online relationship with another child, consider contacting the other child's parents to confirm they are who they say they are.
Help children understand the nature of commercial information and how to think about it. Consider installing filters & labels blocking access to unsuitable web sites and unmonitored chat rooms.
Set time limits and check your credit card and telephone bills, (especially if your Internet access is charged at an hourly rate).