Information for Parents

Online Safety is about staying safe while using different technology and the Internet.

Parents and carers can play an important role in keeping children safe online. You do not have to be technical. By working together, we can help our pupils stay safe online and have positive experiences.

The Internet is wonderful resources for learning and for fun. There are some risks we need to be aware of:

Sharing too much information – Pupils could share too much information without realising the dangers. Information that is personal to them, such has their name, where they live and go to school, could be seen by strangers.

Inappropriate content – It can be all too easy for pupils to see content that is not age-appropriate. There is also unreliable information online that pupils should not trust.

Dangerous contact – Some children may become victims to abuse online through bullying (cyber-bullying) or dangerous people that would seek to groom and abuse children.

If you have concerns that your child is, or has been, the subject of inappropriate sexual contact or approach by another person, it’s vital that you report it to the police via the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (www.ceop.police.uk). If your child is the victim of cyberbullying, this can also be reported online and offline. Reinforce with your child the importance of telling a trusted adult straight away if someone is bullying them or making them feel uncomfortable, or if one of their friends is being bullied online. www.saferinternet.org.uk

Hidden charges – Young technology users can be caught out by games with ‘micro transactions.’ This is where real money can be spent unknowingly in content such as games. Set up your device so that a password only a parent or carer knows is needed for any purchases.

What can we do?

Talk to your child about what they like to do online.

Supervise your child online and know what apps and websites they are using.

Use safety tools on website and parental controls from your internet provider.

Advice for children and for parents. This is from the government’s CEOP – a National Crime Agency that works to prevent the exploitation of children.

Report any contact that you or your child is unhappy with, click on the icon below: