Top Tips to support you with keeping your child safe online whilst at home

• Talk to your child about their use of the internet! Be part of what they are doing…
• Make sure you know what devices in your home connect to the internet and how.
•  Set boundaries! Be clear about how long they can be online and what they can do online.
• Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space.
• Don’t forget though: Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
• Try the ‘Think You Know’ Website (part of CEOP)which has great age-appropriate resources and activities for children and advice for parents and teachers
• Don’t let them lie about their age, most social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat) are not for children under 13. There is more guidance here
• If you or your child have concerns about something that has happened online, remember that you can report this to the police at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) 

Games Consoles – such as Xbox or Playstation – all have parental controls which can be enabled in the ‘Settings’ . However, they only work if your child is playing on account which has their information. In other words if the console knows how old the player is!

PlayStation information is here.

Xbox information is here.

Nintendo information is here.

Get Safer Online also covers many aspects on online security such as online banking, identity theft and keeping children safe.

There is a great Digital Parenting guide from Vodafone here – this contains details of setting up mobile phones with parental controls and how to use safety modes on other apps and services.

Visit the UK Safer Internet Safer for tips, advice guides and resources on how to help your child stay safe online: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers

Remember – Internet Service Providers (such as Virgin, BT, Sky and PlusNet) all have parental controls which you need to ‘switch on’ – just contact your provider, or take a look at these videos here.

Download the Queensbridge leaflet here!

Here are our SMART rules and some video resources to share with your children:

S Safe: Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you’re chatting or posting online. Personal information includes your email address, phone number and password.

M Meet: Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission and even then only when they can be present. Remember online friends are still strangers even if you have been talking to them for a long time.

A Accepting: Accepting emails, messages, or opening fi les, images or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems — they may contain viruses or nasty messages!

R Reliable: Someone online might lie about who they are and information on the intemet may not be true. Always check information carefully.

T Tell: Tell a parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone, or something, makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online.

Here are some Cartoons to help you find out how to stay safe online

Chapter 1: What should you accept?

https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew/chapter1

Chapter 2: What is Reliable?

https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew/chapter2

Chapter 3: What should you keep safe?

https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew/chapter3

Chapter 4: Who should you tell?

https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew/chapter4

Chapter 5: Be careful when meeting up

https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew/chapter5