At school we constantly remind children of the need to be safe when using the internet and teach them how to keep themselves and their information safe. We do this primarily through our PSHE and Digital Citizenship lessons. At home, this can be challenging as the children have access to a range of devices and online games and, therefore, the responsibility falls to parents and carers to ensure that access to the internet is monitored so that children access age-appropriate content. The aim of this page is to provide information and guidance to help you keep your child safe.

Suggestions for E-Safety at home

The first steps to ensuring your child is safe whilst using the internet at home is to set some simple rules to help keep them safe. 

To keep your child safe they should:

• Ask permission before using the Internet.

• Only use websites you have chosen together or a child friendly search engine.

• Only email people they know, (why not consider setting up an address book?)

• Ask permission before opening an email sent by someone they don’t know.

• Not use Internet chat rooms or social networking sites.

• Not use their real name when accessing any games or other sites, (create a nick name).

• Never give out a home address, phone or mobile, date of birth.

• Never arrange to meet someone they have ‘met’ on the Internet.

• Only play online games with people that they know and block / report strangers who try to talk to them or join games they are playing. 

• Only use a webcam with people they know (if they use one at all!)

• Tell you immediately if they see anything they are unhappy with.

Secondly, it is a wise choice to locate the computer in a family area, not a bedroom, where you can easily supervise your child whilst they use the internet. Even though, many Internet Service Providers offer filtering systems to help you safeguard your child at home, it remains surprisingly easy for children to access inappropriate material this can include unsuitable texts, pictures, music videos and movies. With this in mind, parents are advised to set the security levels appropriately.

If your child is using a smartphone to access the internet, there is a wealth of information out there to support you to set up their device safely. Click the link to find out more: Smartphone safety settings

Here are some useful parent guides for different social media sites: