Simon Bass, from the Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service says that some parents avoid the chat because they are technophobes: "Parents struggle because of a perception it's technical, when in actual fact what we should be doing is teaching children the same principles in terms of online and offline behaviour."
He was making the comments after the NSPCC has released new figures on child internet safety.
The findings show children as young as eight are regular internet users and parents are not broaching the topic of online safety early enough.
The survey looked at more than 2,000 parents of children aged eight to 13 and suggested a 'digital delay' as parents postpone conversations with their children about online safety.
It found 43 per cent of parents were prepared to wait until their child was ten years old before they brought up the issue of internet safety.
The research also showed that a quarter of parents thought the nature of the conversation would scare or upset their child.
Simon Bass responded, saying: "I think we get around that by teaching age appropriate things, it's not about frightening children, that doesn't work in any context."
He stressed that communication needed to be fluid between families about online safety: "Be wary, if you're concerned about something - go and talk to somebody, a trusted adult etc.
"We can be putting principles in place that can help children irrespective of the context, whether that's online or offline, to be able to come to us with their worries."
Ten per cent of parents asked said they did not feel the need to have that conversation at all.
Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speak to Simon Bass here:
