Cyber safety tips for parents

Whatever their age, we can give you practical advice on the steps you can take as a parent to keep them safe in their digital world.

How can I protect my children?

Children use the internet in different ways depending on their age and so we’ve developed checklists for parents that give you top tips on how to help them stay safe.

What are my children doing online?

Children can and do all sorts of amazing things online The internet is creative, fun and educational. Our advice guides give you the need-to-know information about the most common activities.

Screen time can offer children opportunities to learn and develop new skills at a touch of a button but like anything, too much of it can have a negative effect on their wellbeing.

As children get older and more independent online, finding the right balance for your family can be challenging but the key is to think about it early on and set some clear boundaries around their online use.

Social media sites are becoming increasingly popular among children, allowing them to stay in touch with friends, meet new people with similar interests and share photos and videos. 

Used appropriately, social networks are a great place for young people to demonstrate their creativity. As a parent, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your children’s experience is both safe and fun. But there are potentially huge risks associated with social media such as posting pictures of your children that could fall into the wrong hands.

Just like adults, children may be at risk of cyber security issues, such as having their online identity stolen and misused.

It can be difficult to maintain a child’s privacy as they may not understand what information is safe to share online, or what default privacy settings are on the sites and devices they use.

While the emotional aspects of bullying continue to be devastating, the internet and social media have changed the way children experience bullying. Cyberbullying, simply put is bullying that happens online through social, gaming or instant messaging platforms.

To help you support your child on this issue, we’ve created a hub of advice to prepare them for what they might encounter online, as well as practical ways to tackle cyberbullying.

As children become more independent online, they may come across material that is inappropriate for their age or stage of development. Using filters to block explicit content and having frank conversations are just a few ways you equip them to deal with it. 

Whether it’s an explicit pop-up ad on a free game, videos showcasing children’s cartoon characters in adult situations, or a forum promoting self-harm, an innocent search can expose children to content that can make them feel upset and confused.

As children continue to find new ways to connect with each other on a range of devices and platforms, it’s increasingly important to help them make smarter and safer choices about who they talk to and what they share online. 

The term ‘sexting’ is used to describe the sending and receiving of sexually explicit photos, messages and video clips, by text, email or posting them on social networking sites.

Young people may send images and messages to their friends, or even strangers they meet online.

Whatever their age, our online safety tips can help you to find out more about what they might be doing online and give you practical advice on the steps you can take as a parent to keep them safe in their digital world. 

Our useful guides to keeping on top of tech and how to protect your tech within the household from hackers and malware / viruses.