Resources for Parents & Carers about Online Safety

Advice / Sites to Learn From:

Children and young people spend a lot of time online and may face risks such as cyberbullying, being exposed to inappropriate content, or sexual exploitation. The internet isn’t a thing, it’s a place, and it can be a hazardous and scary place for young people to visit. Lacking parental control over your child’s internet access is akin to letting your child travel to a distant city or foreign country without your permission. You may think your child is safe upstairs in their bedroom, but who are they talking to, what are they seeing, experiencing, what advice are they being given, are they being blackmailed or being sexually exploited?

There are lots of ways to help you keep your children safe online

Internet Matters — age-appropriate advice, guides for apps / devices, parental controls info.

Internetmatters.org is a great place for parents to start. Supported by the major UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and a range of online safety organisations, it offers parents the opportunity to:

Get age appropriate Online Safety advice
Read our parental guides to apps and technology – they have produced an extensive guide for parents about parental controls that covers nearly all devices in the home. It explains the features and benefits of the device and what specific content can be restricted.
Learn about children and social networking

Childnet — general online safety charity, resources for children/parents.

Childnet International is a registered UK charity that aims to make the internet a safe place for children and young people www.childnet.com

BBC Teach – Online Safety — content about laws, data protection, digital safety.

The BBC provides a range of information about the laws that protect you and your data online as well as content on online security and safety both for adults and children. www.bbc.co.uk/teach/online-safety/z8w8bqt

Cyber Aware — government site; security for devices/data; helping parents.

A government produced site that provides information about how you can protect yourself as well as your device, data, and business online by being cyber aware www.cyberaware.com

Vodafone – Digital Parenting — articles, how-to guides, checklists for parents.

Read about the very latest technology and challenges in this magazine – Expert View articles, ‘How to’ guides and Take Action checklists will help parents stay up-to-date and feel more confident about getting involved. www.vodafone.com/content/parents/digital-parenting/magazines.html

INEGE Safeguarding Group

As a parent or carer, it’s important to remember that even if a child is tech-savvy, they need to be taught how to be tech-safe. This can be daunting with various device brands, apps, and settings to choose from. Online safety experts have created 5 steps to help you make that first device (or brand-new model!) safer for the child or young person in your care. www.ineqe.com/2021/11/26/my-childs-first-device/

ChatGPT/AI

What do I need to know about ChatGPT? A guide for parents and carers : www.childnet.com/blog/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-chatgpt-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers

Get Safe Online
Guidelines to protect both yourself and your business online with information on securing your computer, safeguarding children, and using social media safely. www.getsafeonline.org

Safer Internet

A parents’ guide to technology – The UK Safer Internet Centre has created this guide to answer commonly asked questions and introduce some of the most popular devices used by children, highlighting the safety tools available and empowering parents with the knowledge they need to support their children to use these technologies safely and responsibly. www.saferinternet.org.uk

Internet Parental Controls

The four big internet providers – BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin Media – provide their customers with free parental controls that can be activated at any time. Video tutorials on how to download and use these controls are available on the UK Safer Internet Centre website.

Childnet International

Resources for children, parents, carers and professionals around keeping young people safe online:

www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers

www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/hot-topics/keepingyoung-children-safe-online

www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/hot-topics

www.parentzone.org.uk/article/disney-parents%E2%80%99-guidewhat-it-and-it-safe-kid

Reporting & Help:

Where to get help

Information about what to do if a child comes to you for help and advice about how to report online concerns such as cyber-bullying, inappropriate content, or illegal behaviour.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) https://www.ceop.police.uk/ceop-reporting/
A police agency tackling child abuse on the internet. This web site includes a unique facility that enables parents and young people to make reports of actual or attempted abuse online.

Think U Know www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
This website contains information for children and parents, as well as a link for children to report abuse online.

Internet Watch Foundation www.iwf.org.uk/

Part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, the IWF is 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.

NSPCC www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
The NSPCC online safety helpline for parents and carers will answer questions and address concerns about a child’s online safety – 0808 800 5000.

True Vision www.report-it.org.uk/
Online content which incites hatred on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation can be reported to True Vision; a UK website set up to tackle all forms of hate crime, including those on the grounds of disability and transgender identity.

Childline
Children can chat to a counsellor online or talk to someone for advice and support at any time by contacting Childline on 0800 1111