Online Safety Information
Top Tips for Parents
Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
Watch films and cartoons from the external links below with your child. The sites have films, games and advice for children from five all the way to 16.
Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online. Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as difficult to install as you might think. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly.
Please find below different information relating to online safety.
Play the Parents vs Kids quiz from O2 & NSPCC
Who knows more about the online world, parents or kids? Get the whole family together and take the O2 NSPCC Parents vs Kids quiz. You can play on an Amazon Echo, or on your mobile, desktop or tablet. See who knows the most about the online world, and learn a bit more about staying safe.
Use this website to help you know more about some of the apps your child(ren) may be using.
This is the link to the section on the NSPCC website relating to Online Safety. You might find some really useful information to help you keep your child(ren) safe online.
National Colleges - Parent Guides
Additional Parent Platform Guides. You will need to create a free account to download the parent guides.
Internet Matter
Setting parental controls: https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/
Common Sense Media
Checking Age Appropriateness
If, like me, it can be difficult to know whether a book, film, TV, Podcast, Game or Apps is appropriate for certain ages, check out the Common Sense Media website (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/). You can read three reviews for free a month. If you want to complete further reviews, a subscription is needed. Some job roles mean that the subscription is free.
E-Safety Tips for Parents: Under 5
Safety on the internet matters. This fun, interactive, stop motion animated video has useful advice and tips for parents of 0-5s so that you can help them to stay safe online. From toddlers to teens, four 'E-safety tips for parents' videos are age specific to help you keep up with e-safety as they grow up.
Can I be your friend?
This film was made to explore the issues and the dangers of living our lives online.