Online Safety 

Top tips to keep children safe on the internet: 

• Talk about online safety early. As soon as your child begins using the internet, start conversations about staying safe online and being a responsible and respectful digital citizen. It is never too early to develop good online habits.

• Protect personal information. Make sure your child understands that they should never share personally identifiable information online, including their full address, school details, phone number or information about where they are or where they will be.

• Be cautious about meeting people online. Explain that your child should never arrange to meet someone they have only met online without speaking to you first and agreeing on what to do.

• Keep passwords private. Encourage your child to create strong passwords and remind them that passwords should never be shared with anyone, including friends.

• Think before posting. Talk to your child about the potential consequences of sharing inappropriate comments, images or other content online. Explain that once something is posted or shared, it can be difficult to remove and may affect their reputation in the future.

• Monitor mobile phone use. Keep an age-appropriate eye on your child's mobile phone activity, including messages sent and received and images that are downloaded or shared.

• Keep up to date with online risks. Familiarise yourself with current online safety concerns, such as cyberbullying, sexting and inappropriate or harmful content. Having a good understanding of these issues will help you have open, informed conversations with your child.

• Use appropriate parental controls. Consider using age-appropriate filtering, blocking and monitoring tools on internet-enabled devices, including laptops, smartphones, tablets and games consoles.

• Set clear boundaries around screen time. Agree sensible limits for screen use and establish clear expectations about when, where and how devices can be used.

• Stay involved in your child's digital life. Take an interest in the websites, apps, games and platforms your child uses, and talk regularly about who they communicate with online. An open and supportive approach will help your child feel confident coming to you if they encounter something that worries or concerns them.