Advice for Parents
The internet and related technologies, including mobile phones, games consoles and social networks are becoming increasingly important in the daily lives of our children and have many positive benefits. They can be used both educationally and socially and are becoming part of a child’s identity. Socially our children often use the internet for entertainment, interaction, and communication with ‘friends’. Access to the internet can take place anywhere and at any time so we need to make sure our children are able to use the internet safely. Many children are unaware of the risks – for example by having many online friends (who could be strangers), uploading inappropriate images, viewing unsuitable content or sharing too much personal information.
Information about setting up filtering in your own home can be found below. Some of the advice about online safety is common sense but it’s also important that parents and carers know how to use the technology and are aware of how their children are using the internet. Information about online safety issues and how to ‘Stay Safe’ can be found on the websites below. This is just a sample of websites that can provide parents with support and information. Once parents and carers have the background knowledge and understanding of eSafety, they can decide what is right for their family. Please remember to tell your child that if they tell you about getting into trouble online, you will be very proud of them – and that you won’t take their device off them. This will keep to ensure that they come back to tell you if they are ever in trouble. You may of course want to check the settings on their device so that you can make it safer for them.
The internet is an exciting and fun place for adults and children to use and explore educationally and socially. The challenge for parents, carers and teachers is to make sure our children are aware and understand how to be safe when using the internet and related technologies.
Some Key Advice for Children
- Keep your personal details private
- Think before you post, send or forward
- Do not share your password with others
- Don’t arrange up with someone you only know online, and tell a trusted adult if someone asks
- Be careful who you webcam with
- Know how to keep yourself safe
- Don’t open an attachment unless you are 100% sure it is safe
- Tell a trusted adult if anything happens online that worries or upsets you
What Parents Can Do: Ten Tips
- Regularly discuss the kind of websites that your child uses, how to set safety features and how to report concerns.
- Advise your child to set social network profile settings to private then ask them to show you that they have done it.
- Ask your child about their online friends and warn them that some people create fake online identities.
- Remind your child that someone you have not met in the offline world is not a friend.
- Set appropriate Parental Controls on your child’s computer, mobile and games console.
- Agree with your child that they will tell you something if they are worried about something online.
- Make sure you know where to get help if you are concerned about your child or another child.
- Remember that Facebook is for those over 13.
- Remember we need to help young people to use technology for good and to guide them to do so wisely and responsibly.
- Never allow your child to buy games/apps or services online using your credit card details without your supervision
Information on Parental Controls for your home broadband
Talk Talk: http://sales.talktalk.co.uk/product/homesafe
Sky: http://www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk/broadband-shield/staying-safe-online
Virgin Media: http://store.virginmedia.com/discover/broadband/security/web-safe.html
BT: http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/manage-broadband-extras
Some useful websites to support Parents:
https://parentsafe.lgfl.net/ – Seven Kings School is a part of the London Grid for Learning. The site is regularly updated and gives advice and guides around: Screen time, Setting up devices, Checking if apps are suitable and much more.
www.parentinfo.org – Autumn 2015 saw the release of this excellent new website. It was developed out of a partnership between CEOP and The Parent Zone and contains lots of good eSafety advice.
www.saferinternet.org.uk – Here you will find e-safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe on the internet.
www.childnet.com– An organisation working directly with children, parents and teachers to ensure that the issues of online child protection and the safe and positive use of the internet are addressed.
www.thinkuknow.co.uk – The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has set up its own website which has been designed and written specifically for children, young people, teachers, parents and carers.
www.kidsmart.org.uk/ – Kidsmart is an award winning internet safety website for parents and those working with children. It has been developed by the children’s internet charity Childnet International and has excellent information on many of the technologies used by children, with guidance on how to ‘stay safe’ online.
www.bullying.co.uk – One in five young people have experienced bullying by text message or via email. This web site gives advice for children and parents on cyberbullying.
http://www.childnet.com/young-people/secondary – This website is about the potential dangers with interactive services online like chat, IM, online games, email and on mobiles. It provides information, advice, true stories and games. The resource page also contains a number of links to other useful websites.
http://parents.vodafone.com/ – Being very accessible, this provides information and guidance to parents to help under the digital world. There is also an online test to see how much you know.
www.internetmatters.org – Lots of guidance and articles for parents about keeping their children safe online.
www.digizen.org – A website designed to strengthen awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is. It encourages users of technology to be and become responsible DIGItal citiZENS
