Parents

Online Safety

Safety in a Digital World: Guide for Parents/Carers

You were taught road safety,

You were taught rail safety,

You were taught to play safely.

But now we are in the 21st Century and your children need to be taught online safety.

Children access the Internet on:

Computers
Mobile phones
Games consoles
Music systems
Smart TVs

They play games online with friends and strangers, blog, chat, enter competitions, socialise, email, watch TV, download and upload personal details. They are creative at making images, music, films and web content.

Are you worried about their safety whilst accessing the internet?

This page will provide you with some basic information to help you feel more confident in supporting your child to be safe online.

The Benefits of Digital Technology

There are many benefits of having access to digital technologies. Here are some of them:

Used effectively, these can improve children’s achievement.
Using them at home and at school develops skills for life.
Children with supportive and involved parents and carers do better at school.
Children enjoy using them.
Using technologies provides access to a wider and more flexible range of learning materials.

Staying Safe

You can make a huge difference if you talk to your child about how they use digital technology, let them know you are there to guide them and pass on essential safety advice. Here are some do’s and don’ts:

Do keep your computer in a place where everyone can use it, go online with your child so you can see what they are doing on the internet.
Do remind them that everyone they meet online is a stranger even though they might seem like a friend.
Do encourage your child never to meet up with someone they make friends with online. But if they do then make sure they take along an adult you trust and to meet in a public place.
Do explain that they shouldn’t accept emails or open files from people they don’t know. They may contain viruses, nasty messages or annoying links to things you don’t want them to see.
Do be aware that your child may as likely be an online bully, as be a target of online bullying. Be alert to your child seeming upset after using the internet or their mobile phone.
Do talk to your child so they know they can come to you if they run into any problems. Your continued involvement is the best way of keeping your child safe.
Do make clear what content and behaviour is acceptable and check that sites are age appropriate.
Do give your child the knowledge and skills to build up resilience to the things they find online, help them to play and learn safely.
Do consider using filtering software and agree ground rules about what services you are happy for your child to use.
Don’t allow them to give out personal information. That means full name, home or school address, telephone number or personal email or mobile number.
Don’t allow your child to access inappropriate sites.