Online Safety for Parents
Home Internet
Specifically for you as parents we have listed the link below which sets out how to set parental controls on internet access. Though these controls are not perfect they will certainly help. You can also find here links to advice on YouTube and Google safesearch.
http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parental-controls
The link below will take you to information on how to make Game Consoles and Handhelds such as IPods safer for your children too.
http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parents-guide-to-technology
We would strongly recommend that you consider taking control of what your child can access via the internet but also taking the time to discuss with them why.
Useful weblinks for additional information about online safety and how to report concerns.
Child Exploitation and Online ProtectionParent Information from CEOP and Parent ZoneThinkuknow. An Introduction to Parents and Carers
This presentation introduces parents and carers to the ThinkuKnow education programme. It highlight some of the resources available for children.
Having Conversations about Life Online
Find out more information by clicking here to visit UK Safer Internet Centre website.Be positive and open minded about the internet
It’s important to recognise the exciting opportunities that going online can offer children and young people. Although your children may use the internet differently to you, their experiences are still significant.
If your child mentions something you haven’t heard of, ask them to show you, or explain in more detail, or you may need to do your own research. Try to keep conversations broad, and value their opinions when they’re talking about what they enjoy doing, to show that you are interested in all aspects of their online world.
Talk early and often
The most effective way to deal with any online issue is to make conversations about the internet a part of your everyday routine.
Talking openly about life online from an early age, can be a helpful bridge to sharing safety messages and addressing more difficult conversations at a later date; it also shows your child that you are someone who knows about the internet and can help them.
Create a safe space for conversations
Look for opportunities to talk together. Sometimes, talking face-to-face can feel difficult, so talking alongside each other when out for a walk, or travelling in the car for example, are options that might make it easier.
The environment needs to be right; free from distractions, so that your child has your undivided attention. Remind them often that they can talk to you about anything, no matter how difficult, and that they will not be judged or blamed.
Your child might not be ready to talk about something straight away, so show them that you are there to listen whenever they are ready.
Keep it relevant
As they get older, your children will use technology differently from when they first went online. Their knowledge and understanding will grow too, as will the challenges they may face on the internet.
To get a sense of how much they know and what support they still need, ask open-ended questions to let your child lead the conversations you have.
There are appropriate ways to approach all online safety topics with different ages. For example, with a teenager, nude images can be spoken about in wider conversations around consent and healthy relationships. For younger children, you could discuss what types of images are okay to share online, and what areas of our bodies are private.
Be proactive
Working together to create an agreement, outlining how the internet and technology will be used within the family, is a useful way to set clear expectations and boundaries for your children.
You might include time spent online; who your children can communicate with; appropriate apps and games; and why safety tools are helpful to block and report inappropriate content.
Ask your child what they would do if something went wrong online and they needed help, and reinforce the importance of telling an adult as soon as anything happens that makes them feel upset, worried, or uncomfortable in any way.
App Support and Social Media
Government Fact sheet: New rules to protect children online Spring 2027
Understanding popular apps
Most children at our school said that when using apps such as Whatsapp, they have seen and experienced hateful comments and people being unkind. We are aware that this is happening with children in our school.
We encourage children to take the following steps on Whatsapp if they come across hateful comments and people being unkind:
- Screenshot and report to parents and teachers
- Report the comments.
- Block the user
- Removing themselves from the group.
Further information to keep your children safe when using Whatsapp can be found in the attached PDF below.
Some children are having problems with people adding them into groups without their consent. The following link can help you work with your children to increase security settings and block individual users.
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/whatsapp/
We all have a responsibility in keeping our children and community safe in the digital world. Please check your child is using their phone responsibility regularly in order to help reduce incidents in and out of school.
TikTok
TikTok is a free social media platform that lets you create, share and watch short clips. The app is popular for viral dances and celebrity cameos and is a creative and fun platform for teens to enjoy. 13 is the minimum age according to TikTok’s terms and conditions.
The PDF below has further information.
Things to be aware of on TikTok
- Seeing inappropriate content - Parents have expressed concerns about the inappropriate language of some of the videos posted which may make this less suitable for younger children.
- Contact from strangers - Predators seeking to connect with children is another privacy and security risk on TikTok. Set up privacy and security settings to limit this contact.
-
When you download the app, users can see all the content without creating an account although they are not able to post, like or share anything until they’ve set up an account on the app.
-
By default, all accounts are public so anyone on the app can see what your child shares. However, only approved followers can send them messages.
-
Users can like or react to a video, follow an account or send messages to each other, so there is the risk that strangers will be able to directly contact children on the app.
-
Children may be tempted to take risks to get more of a following or likes on a video so it’s important to talk about what they share and with who.
-
Need to delete your account? Go to Me>Tap …, located on the top right corner>Tap Manage account > Delete account. Follow the instructions in the app to delete your account.
You can find out more by looking at Internet Matters Handy Guide below.
Please find this handy guide on how to manage many settings regarding Instagram
What is Instagram’s minimum age to open an account on the platform?
Like most social media platforms, Instagram requires users to be 13 or older to use the platform. Additionally, those aged 13-16 benefit from safety-by-design features. For example, when a child in this age range joins Instagram, they automatically have a private account.
Letting your child use the platform before they are old enough leaves them open to the risk of harm. This is because they will need to lie about their age, potentially using their parents instead. As such, they do not benefit from those default settings.
What are the potential risks on Instagram?
Instagram lets users connect with others, find communities with similar interests and explore creative ways to express themselves. However, not all content is appropriate for every user. Like any social media platform, there are risks to consider.
Communication with strangers
When someone posts a picture or video on their public profile, anyone can interact with it. Your child can comment on content or respond to others’ comments, even if they don’t know the person offline.
In most cases, these interactions are harmless. However, some strangers might seek to harm, so it’s important to limit this risk.
Ensure your child has a private profile and customise their communication settings to stay safe.
Inappropriate or unwanted content
Instagram’s algorithm ‘learns’ from the actions its users take as well as their demographics. This helps to suggest new content a user might like. For example, if someone watches and likes a lot of cat videos, they will receive suggestions for more cat videos.
However, this can sometimes lead to content they don’t want to see. Sometimes, influencers will grow their followers based on one type of content but then share a different type of content. For example, a lot of followers of Andrew Tate say they enjoy his fitness and finance content. However, he also shares a lot of misogynistic content. So, those looking for fitness content might accidentally get caught up in the misogynistic content as well.
You can help your child customise their feed to limit unwanted content. Adding hidden words is just one way to do this.
Spending too much time scrolling
Instagram uses what’s called persuasive design. This is where a platform uses techniques to keep users engaged on the platform. One of the biggest elements of this for Instagram is the endless scrolling feature.
Because users can keep scrolling to reveal new content, users can accidentally spend hours engaging with content. So, if your teen uses Instagram, make sure you set up screen time limits so they receive regular reminders to take breaks.
What are Teen accounts, and how do they keep children safe?
Instagram has introduced ‘teen accounts’ which automatically turn on all privacy features for accounts where the owner is 13-17 years of age. These features include:
- Making the account private
- Only being able to message accounts they follow
- Sensitive content restrictions
- Filtering out offensive language
- Time limit reminders to prevent excessive screen time
Teens 16 and older will be able to switch these settings off themselves, but teens under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of the built-in protections to be less strict.
Instagram Family Centre
Family Centre is a tool available for parents within Instagram’s settings. It lets parents supervise their teen’s account to help them:
- balance their screen time;
- manage who they communicate with;
- customise their profile settings for safety.
While you cannot oversee everything they do, these supervision tools serve as a great way to start conversations.
General safety settings
Instagram offers a range of safety settings available to all users. These include:
- Private profiles;
- Close Friends groups;
- Restricted, muted and blocked accounts;
- Hidden words;
- Limited notifications.
YouTube
Parental Control Guides for YouTube and YouTube Kids
How to set up YouTube
When used safely and responsibly, YouTube provides children with a wealth of opportunities to learn, stay entertained, create and play. However, with so much content available, how do you find the correct channels and videos? How do you ensure your child is safe while watching them?
Families should create a shared YouTube account to easily track the videos watched and suggested. I recommend turning Restricted Mode on or, for younger children, setting up YouTube Kids.
Supervised Accounts are for parents who want to allow their child to transition from YouTube Kids to the main YouTube platform. Use the step-by-step parental settings guide to help keep children safe on YouTube.
What safety features does YouTube have?
YouTube is considered a search engine, video-sharing platform and social media platform all-in-one. It has a lot of features that support each type of content. However, it also includes settings to promote safety and wellbeing to keep children safe online.
- YouTube Kids: a separate app made for children under 13. It allows a safer and simpler experience for them to explore. The app also has a parent-supervised experience to help guide your kids on their journey. Check out the YouTube Kids app parental control guide for more information.
- Privacy settings – Under-18s can set privacy settings to make parts of their profile private as well as make posted content private or public.
- Digital wellbeing – YouTube contains a variety of wellbeing tools. Users can turn off autoplay to limit endless scrolling. The platform also has the option to ‘Remind me to take a break’ and ‘Remind me when it’s bedtime’ to encourage users to take breaks. You can turn these features on in settings.
- Mature content or ‘Not made for kids’: content creators can include an age-restrict option on their content not made for viewers under 18. Personalised ads are removed on content made for kids on their ‘watch’ page. However, ads are still shown based on the context of the video. Monetised features are also removed.
- Trusted Flagger program: removes harmful content from the platform.
- Machine learning: their machine learning systems identify videos that may put children at risk. They also apply a few protection tools, such as restricting live features, disabling comments and limiting recommendations. YouTube also works with NGOs to combat child sexual abuse imagery (CSAI) by reporting this type of content to the relevant law agencies.
- Autoplay customisation on YouTube Kids – On YouTube Kids, parents can turn off autoplay features as well as erase history to manage what kinds of videos children experience.
- Safeguards and education about commercial content – YouTube does not allow paid product placements in YouTube Kids as they do on the standard app.
- Reporting: when users report a video or channel to YouTube, the platform investigates it. If it goes against their guidelines or policies, they will terminate the account in question. If they find any sexually inappropriate content featuring minors, they will also report the illegal activities to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Snapchat
Please use this guide for more information on Snapchat's privacy settings.
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a communication service popular among teens and adults. Users can take photos, record videos, add text or drawings (called Snaps) and send them to Friends.
Snaps disappear after the recipients view it, or within 24 hours (for a Story or Chat). Snapchat automatically deletes the Snap from its servers unless the users save the content.
Typically, users cannot retrieve opened Snaps from the app’s servers. However, parents and teens should report concerns and issues to Snapchat. In these cases, the platform can preserve relevant data for law enforcement. However, the ability to preserve data also depends on the user’s activity and privacy settings.
Snapchat is available for both Android and iOS users and is free to download. However, there is a premium subscription to the app also available for purchase called Snapchat+.
What is the minimum age?
Like many other social networks and messaging apps, the minimum age to use Snapchat is 13. Additionally, users under 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to use the app. Parents can set up Family Centre to help monitor their teens’ safety on the app.
Research shows that children under 13 use the service, despite the age requirement. However, Snapchat says it removes any accounts that belong to an underage user.
Children who use social media underage face additional online risks. Until they reach the age minimum, consider these alternatives suitable for under-13s.
Snapchat risks
Similar to other social media platforms, common risks on Snapchat include:
- contact from potentially harmful strangers
- seeing inappropriate content
- endless scrolling (or ‘doom scrolling’)
- bullying, harassment or hate from both friends and strangers
- disappearing messages, which can make it hard to collect evidence in cases of bullying or similar behaviours.
Snapchat has its own Community Guidelines to help users stay safe. Inappropriate content, bullying and other such issues go against these guidelines. However, if your child does see something upsetting, they should report it in-app.
How Snapchat uses AI
Snapchat offers users the option to engage with an artificial intelligence tool called My AI. It appears in users’ contact lists automatically. Unlike other contacts, users cannot delete My AI unless you have Snapchat+, Snapchat’s premium subscription option.
My AI works like any other chatbot, allowing users to have conversations with AI. Like ChatGPT, it can also provide more detailed answers like the solution to a Maths problem. With any AI tool, it’s important that children understand appropriate and inappropriate ways to use it.
What data does My AI collect?
Like ChatGPT, My AI collects data from conversations users have with it. With location enabled, My AI can use that to help answer questions users ask it. If you share content like written messages or Snaps, My AI keeps that data as well. This helps it ‘learn’ facts about users to better answer questions.
According to the Snapchat’s Help Centre, users should avoid sharing confidential or sensitive information with My AI. Additionally, it is against the rules to ask My AI to generate harmful content. This includes content which promotes violence, self-harm, human trafficking or any content that goes against the Community Guidelines.
How do I delete data from My AI?
If your child regularly uses My AI, get into the habit of routinely deleting their data. You can do this by going to their account Privacy Controls in their Settings, selecting ‘Clear Data’ and then choosing ‘Clear My AI Data.’
Additionally, make sure you talk to your child about what is okay to share with artificial intelligence.
Cyberbullying
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the repetitive and intentional hurting of a person or group of people that happens online. It can happen via text, email and on social networks and gaming platforms.
5 things you need to know about cyberbullying
- It can happen 24/7 repeatedly on a range of apps, games and devices
- It can reach a larger number of people and increase the chance that others will join in the bullying
- Children can’t see the impact of their words so may post or share something without thinking
- It can be anonymous so it’s harder to see who’s behind it
- It’s growing and can consist of harassment, threats, exclusion, defamation, and manipulation
Cyberbullying terms and definitions
Online bullying can take many shapes but not all forms are easy to understand. Explore the different types of cyberbullying and bullying behaviours below.
- Baiting: to intentionally make a person angry by saying or doing things to annoy them
- Catfishing: stealing someone’s profile or setting up fake profiles to lure people into starting online relationships
- Cyberstalking: sending repeated and frequent messages that include real threats of physical harm
- Dissing: sending or posting information that’s intended to damage someone’s reputation
- Exclusion: deliberately excluding someone from online conversations, games and activities
- Flaming: sending angry and abusive online messages to intentionally provoke someone into starting an argument
- Fraping: logging into someone else’s account, impersonating them or posting inappropriate content in their name
- Griefing: abusing and angering people through online gaming
- Harassment: targeting an individual or group with persistent and offensive messages which could develop into cyberstalking
- Outing: publicly sharing personal, private or embarrassing information, photos or videos about someone online
- Roasting: ganging up on an individual online and sending offensive abuse until the victim is seen to ‘crack’. sometimes a child will request to be roasted as a form of self-harm” and link to the self-harm hub
- Trolling: deliberately posting provocative and insulting messages about sensitive subjects or inflicting racism or misogyny on an individual
Online Gaming
🔍 What You Can Do as a Parent or Teacher to Help
(Game companions / helpers!)
-
Check the game’s rating (PEGI, ESRB, etc.) and whether it is made for your child’s age.
-
Set up parental controls on the device or console.
-
Talk with your child about what they like to do in games, who they play with, and how it makes them feel.
-
Help them manage their screen time so gaming doesn’t take up too much of their day.
-
Keep up-to-date with popular games they use, what features have chats, how they handle data, etc.
Online gaming is as popular as it ever has been and when the NSPCC asked 600 primary school children what information they needed to stay safe online. More than 80% said they needed to know more about privacy settings on mobile apps and games.
How does Clowne Junior School look at safe-gaming?
In school, the children will all look at safe-gaming, mindful messaging and how to avoid gaming addiction as part of the Online Safety unit in each year and there will be an additional focus on online gaming during our Internet Safety Day later in the year.
Things to know when it comes to gaming.
What can you do to help?
We would strongly recommend that you look at the revised 'Net Aware Guide' which keeps parents informed of issues around social media sites and online platforms popular with their children. 12 new sites have been added to NetAware which now has over 60 social networking sites, apps and games which children use.
We would also recommend using www.commonsensemedia.org which allows you to explore media by age, which uses a traffic light system for ease of use, informs parents what they need to know about the media in question and what the child can learn from the media. The posters below will also help to outline the risks of popular games.
Which games are okay and which ones aren't?
If you wish to download a copy of the posters from National Online Safety, the links are available below.
Trolling and Griefing
Tackling online hate and trolling - Advice to support children & young people
The internet can be a dangerous place for children and young people, with Trolls lurking in every corner. We’ve all tackled one at some point, but online problems like cyber-bullying, grooming and fraud are ever increasing, and young people are especially vulnerable to these situations.
Further advice and information
- Net Aware (NSPCC)
- Think U Know – The website of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) offers a wealth of up-to-date, practical information on keeping safe online, including where to go for further help and support. If you are concerned that an adult has made inappropriate contact with your child you can report this directly to CEOP. You can also find help if you think your child is being bullied, or if you have come across something on the internet which you think may be illegal
- UK Safer Internet Centre
- Childnet
- Staying safe online (article)
Artificial Intelligence
AI safety tips for parents NSPCC
A Guide to Artificial Intelligence - Internet Matters