What can you do as a parent or carer to keep your child safe online?

The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices. However, the internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge. You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills than you do, however children and young people still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online and using the internet positively and safely.

Parents and carers play a key role in supporting children to learn about how to stay safe online, and they are one of the first people children turn to if things go wrong. We know it can be difficult to stay on top of the wide range of sites and devices that young people use, so we hope that the following advice helps.

This video produced by Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) provides useful information for parents / carers.

It is essential to be involved in your child’s online life. The internet has become an integral part of people’s lives and it is a key element of the way in which many young people now socialise. As a parent or carer you have a challenging job, you need to know what your children are doing online and also help them to do it in a safe way. With technology changing on a day-to-day basis, the best way to stay informed is to get involved. To get tips on how to talk to children about their online activity, you can go to the following link – Tips on how to discuss tricky issues with your child

Some useful conversation starters are as follows:

• Ask your child to tell you what they like most about the internet and why e.g. sites they visit, ways to communicate, games they play, etc.
• Ask your children what they would like others to do to improve or change the internet and make it a better place.
• What does a better internet mean to them? (Is it safer, kinder, more fun, fewer age restrictions, etc.?)
• Ask them to tell you how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you to deal with online issues and where did they learn them?
• Ask your children if they know where to go for help, where to find advice, privacy settings and how to report or block within the services they use

What can you do right now?

There are real advantages in maintaining an open dialogue with your child about their internet use, encourage them to talk to you about their time online; for example who they’re talking to, what services they are using, and any issues that they may be experiencing. Also, bear in mind that multiple devices now connect to the internet including gaming consoles and that internet connections could be made through free Wi-Fi or 4G/5G mobile connections.

Create a family agreement to establish your children’s boundaries, and your expectations, when on the internet. Give your child strategies to deal with any online content that they are not comfortable with – such as turning off the screen, telling an adult they trust and using online reporting facilities.

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. Find your service provider and learn how to set your controls.

• Familiarise yourself with the privacy settings and reporting features available on popular sites and services.
• Consider using filtering software to block unwanted content. In addition to filtering, remember that discussion with your child, and involvement in their internet use, are both effective ways to educate them about the internet. The 4 big internet providers in the UK – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – provide their customers with free parental controls which can be activated at any time. They have come together to produce helpful video guides to help you to download and set-up the controls offered by your provider. These can be found via the following link – www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parental-controls
• Encourage your children to ‘think before you post.’ Online actions can impact not only yourself but the lives of others. Content posted privately online can be publicly shared by others, and may remain online forever.
• Understand the law. Some online behaviour may break the law, for example when downloading or sharing content with others. Be able to recommend legal services.
• If your child is being bullied online, save all available evidence and know where to report the incident, for example to the school, service provider, or the police if the law has been broken.
• Familiarise yourself with the age ratings for games and apps which can help to indicate the level and suitability of the content. Also see if online reviews are available from other parents as these may be helpful.
• Encourage your children to protect their personal information, and create strong passwords for every account.
• 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.

For a wide range of advice and ideas on how to maintain safe behaviour online you can visit the UK Safer Internet Centre as well as the following links:

http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers

https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers

Managing Screen Time

It is important for children to develop a healthy relationship with technology. Internet Matters have a series of tips and guides to help with this including setting up parental controls, finding other activities to do, agreeing on boundaries and more. You can view the guidance HERE.

Coffee Morning – Responsible use of the Internet

Parents’ Guide to Technology

http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parents-guide-to-technology

http://www.childnet.com/resources/know-it-all-for-parents/kiafp-cd

Online Gaming: An introduction for parents

Internet safety advice is directly applicable to the gaming environment. It is essential that children are aware of the potential issues and are given the skills and knowledge to help manage and reduce these risks, with the help of those around them. This leaflet explores the online gaming environment and provides a wealth of safety advice.

Click HERE for further support.

Guidance on social networking sites

Childnet has produced a guide which focuses on helping parents understand the positive and creative ways young people are using social networking spaces (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Google+). It also points out the potential risks of using these sites and ways to minimise these risks. This is available to download on the following link:

Click HERE for further guidance.

Facebook Family Safety Centre: Provides useful information and tips for parents and carers, teenagers and educators. These pages do not require a Facebook account in order to view them.

Click HERE for further guidance.

Google+ Safety Centre: Provides useful information and tips for parents and carers, teenagers and educators. These pages do not require a Google account in order to view them.

www.google.com/+/safety

X (formerly Twitter) Help Centre – Tips for Parents: Provides useful information and tips for parents and carers. These pages do not require a Twitter account in order to view them.

Click HERE for further guidance.

Snapchat Safety Centre: Provides guidance on how to report issues and on the safe use of the app.

https://www.snap.com/en-GB/safety/safety-center/

TikTok Guides: For guidance on how to use TikTok safely and how to report issues visit https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/guides/

Further useful links on online safety

• Think U Know – a great site for young people.
• CEOP – Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre – a must read!
• Get Net Wise – get wise about staying safe.
• Cyber Bullying – How to deal with online bullying.
• Stay Safe Online – General Internet usage tips.
• Sorted – Keep your information secure online.
• CBBC Newsround – a bit more information for children and parents.
• Parent Info – expert information to help children and young people stay safe online.
• Action Fraud – expert advice on how to deal with online fraud.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection agency CEOP: Advice for parents, you can also report any concerns directly to the police through this website. Click the logo below to visit the “Think U Know website”.

UK Safer Internet Centre

The UK Safer Internet Centre is coordinated by a partnership of three leading organisations; Childnet International, the South West Grid for Learning and the Internet Watch Foundation. It is co-funded by the European Commission and has three main functions: an Awareness Centre, a Helpline and a Hotline.

Childnet International

Childnet International, a non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. This page leads to advice for parents

Know it all

Know IT All for Parents is a unique interactive e-safety guide for parents and carers produced by Childnet International. It’s designed to really help you as a parent or carer keep up to date with how children are using the internet, and support them in using these new exciting services safely and responsibly.

www.childnet.com/resources/know-it-all-for-parents

Useful downloads

• Advice for Parents on Cyberbullying
• Guidance in English
• Guidance in Arabic
• Guidance in Bengali
• Guidance in Hindi
• Guidance in Polish
• Guidance in Punjabi
• Guidance in Somali
• Guidance in Spanish
• Guidance in Turkish
• Guidance in Urdu

Reporting concerns

In school the point of contact will be the Head of Year. Serious concerns relating to child protection should be reported to the school’s child protection officers.

Students can protect themselves online by reporting incidents to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre by clicking on the CEOP button.

Further support can be found on the following sites:

Internet Watch Foundation: The UK’s hotline for reporting illegal content found on the internet. It deals specifically with child abuse and criminally obscene images hosted in the UK and internationally.

www.iwf.org.uk

ParentPort: A website run by the UK’s media regulators, allowing you to report content unsuitable for children found in a programme, advert, film, video game, newspaper/magazine or other forms of media.

www.parentport.org.uk

Fortnite is one of the most popular games of recent years, however with its popularity there has been an increase in the number of victims of scams via the game. Between September and October this year there were over 53,000 reported scams most preying on the vulnerability of children when they are searching for V-Bucks (in-game currency). Please discuss these risks with your child. See HERE for more information.
Call of Duty Black Ops 4  has the same player mode as Fortnite (Battle Royale). Please be aware that the age rating for this game is 18 due to the high level of violence.

A Guide to Phishing

Pokémon Go – a parent’s guide

The following advice is given by the Parent Zone on the popular app Pokémon Go.

http://parentzone.org.uk/article/pokemon-go-parents-guide

Gaming or gambling?

Which games are safe for your child to play and which expose them to gambling risks? It can be hard to work out. There is currently no consistent way for parents or players to easily know which games have gambling-like features in them.

Parents can check the type of content that games contain by looking up the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) age-rating system. They can also see whether or not in-game purchasing is available – but gambling-like features are not explicitly highlighted. This means it is especially important for you to take some time to read up on the games your child enjoys playing and find out what they’re seeing.

Many games, like the popular battle royale game Fortnite, or Candy Crush, appear harmless, with their cartoonish characters and settings, but they may still offer players loot boxes — and many people are concerned that these are introducing children to gambling. By getting to know the games your child plays, you will be more aware of the potential risks and what controls and support may be in place so that you can take steps to ensure that they stay safer.

For more information, you can download further guidance produced by The Parent Zone.

Gaming or Gambling – Top Tips

Gaming or Gambling – FAQ

Gaming or Gambling – Glossary

Virgin Media want internet users of all ages to enjoy all the wonderful things the web has to offer, safely. That’s why Virgin Media O2 experts have created a children’s internet safety test to help build awareness for parents and children of all ages to ensure they are better protected online – https://www.virginmedia.com/blog/online-safety/childrens-internet-safety-test.