Parents/Carers
Parents of young children and pre-schoolers
You don’t need to talk to your pre-schooler about online safety yet, right? Wrong. If you treat online safety just as you would treat road safety, then talking about safe internet use becomes the norm and not something that they feel needs to be hidden as they get older. So if they are worried about something they have seen online they can feel confident in talking to an adult about their concerns.
Short animation for parents and childcare providers:
Podcast for parents of young children:
Parents of pre-teens
Did you Know… the number of children exploited online doubles between the ages of 11 and 12 years old? This means those at the end of primary school, about to enter secondary school are particularly at risk, especially as it’s a time when some children begin to enter the world of social media. The brain development they're going through at this age makes it hard for them to make decisions or plan ahead. They get an increased drive for risk taking and trying out new things. They’re super sensitive to social status and so they start craving peer approval.
Podcast for parents of pre-teens:
Further resources for parents and carers
Websites
- NSPCC Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology - the information on this site can help you determine what is right for your child in terms of tech ownership and usage throughout childhood
- Tech Radar's best parental control apps help keep your family safe online - the best parental control apps will help you block inappropriate and harmful content, limit screentime, track the apps your children use, and provide unintrusive SMS and location monitoring.
- BBC Bitesize Parents' Toolkit - 5 tips on how to talk to your child about their smartphone use
- Safety Centre CEOP Education - The CEOP Education team is a part of the National Crime Agency and we run an education programme which aims to reduce the vulnerability of children and young people to online sexual abuse. CEOP provide training, resources and information for children and young people aged 4 – 18, their families and professionals who work with them.
- UK Safer Internet Centre - Tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep your child safe online.
- Marie Collins Foundation - Supporting victims and survivors, empowering families and professionals, and driving change to tackle technology-assisted child sexual abuse (TACSA).
- Internet Watch Foundation - IWF work to eliminate child sexual abuse imagery online, preventing the ongoing victimisation of those abused in childhood and making the internet safer for all.
- E-Safety Training 'The 2 Johns' - Parent/Carer Area
- Internet Matters - Because children deserve a safe digital world. This site has lots of useful information for parents and carers including device safety settings and tips to talking about online safety.
- Internet Watch Foundation TALK - Follow the TALK checklist to help keep your child safe online.
- NSPCC nude images advice for supporting your child - advice to help you understand the risks and support your child if they've been sending, sharing or receiving nude images.
- Childnet (parents and carers) - Offer your children support and guidance with our range of online safety guide.
- Tackling online hate quiz - (from Internet Matters) empowers young people to tackle online hate.
E-book
- Digiduck's Big Decision - children's e-book about making safe choices online