Online Safety - Parental Advice

You don't need to be a technical expert to protect your child on the internet. Below are some very simple steps to get you started.

• Talk to your child about the websites that they use. By understanding and involving yourself in their internet use, you're helping to keep them safe.
• Be positive about the internet and remember that it is a fantastic learning and communication tool.
• Try not to overreact to minor issues. If your child worries that you may take away their internet access, they could become secretive and hide problems from you.
• Keep PCs, laptops and games consoles out of bedrooms wherever possible. Having the laptop in a family room makes it easier for you to monitor your child's internet use, whilst still giving them privacy.
• Set boundaries in the on-line world just as you would in the real world. Set clear ground rules and expectations for your child's on-line behaviour. If they understand what is and isn't acceptable, it may help them to navigate any problems in the future.
• Make sure all devices that connect to the internet have parental controls to help you set appropriate boundaries. Find your service provider and learn how to set your controls.
• If a games console or PC is used for on-line gaming, be aware that your child may be chatting to people on-line; make sure they are adequately supervised.
• Make sure that you are in control of the privacy settings for any of the on-line apps being used by your child. These need to be checked regularly to ensure that they are at the highest setting. NSPCC Share Aware has a lot of information on this.
• To report suspicious behaviour online with or towards a child go to the CEOP Website.