Internet Safety Guides for Parents
Our young people have been born into the ‘digital age’ and use computers, mobile phones, games consoles and tablets as part of their everyday lives.
The internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children's use of technology can be a challenge, especially if you feel that your children may have better technical skills than you do. However, children and young people still need support and guidance when it comes to managing their lives online and using the internet positively and safely.
At Cheriton we know that it is important to teach pupils about the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help them to navigate the online world safely and confidently, regardless of the device, platform or app. Children in every year group take part in specific lessons regarding this and in assemblies at certain times during the school year.
Keeping our children safe online can be very challenging. Please see below a number of links to parent guides to some of the most popular online platforms that your children might be using.
Here are some useful “tips” to keep young people safe:
- Put the computer in a family room and not a bedroom, so that you can supervise what your child is accessing online and let children know that you are there to give advice and support
- Agree and manage the amount of time your child spends online and in front of a screen; mobile phones, games consoles and other devices often have internet access—check sites are age-appropriate and bookmark child friendly sites or search engines for your child to use
- Change privacy settings
- Let your child know they can come to you if they encounter anything they are unhappy about
- Spend some time on the website or app yourself, getting used to how they work and the kind of content that your child will be accessing
- Monitor viewing habits
- Encourage critical thinking (talk about what people might post online and why some posts could cause distress)
- Seek further support – if your child has seen something distressing online, reassure and empathise and if they are upset in any way by what they have seen, speak to one of the school’s safeguarding leads. If you have serious concerns report these to CEOP
Age recommendations and restrictions:
Many apps and websites require users to be a specific age (7+, 12+, 13+ , 16+, 18+ and so on).
This is because users will encounter content that is NOT SUITABLE for young people below that age. Children at primary school should not have access to apps that require a minimum age of 13.
Internet Safety PDF Age-Guide 6-10s
Internet Safety NSPCC online safety quiz under 13s
Golden Rules Online Safety For Parents
Minecraft Parents GuideWhat you need to know about online bullying
