e-Safety at Home

Being Online

We understand that being online is an integral part of children and young people's lives. The internet and online technology provides so many opportunities for children and young people's growth. Social media, online games, website and apps can be accessed through mobile phones, laptops, computers, tablet and TV - all of which form an important part of children and young people's online word. However, all of these can lead to exposure to new types of risks.

What is e-Safety?

In an ever changing world with technology being at the forefront, e-safety is more important now than ever. E-Safety (or Online safety) is all about staying safe online. With access to the internet through mobiles, tablets, the TV etc... it's very important to be vigilant with what your child has access to on the internet.

If unsupervised, children could be accessing inappropriate content such as material that is directed at adults or misinformation leading to unlawful or dangerous behaviour. This may affect your child's well-being or they may send on inappropriate behaviour to other children or adults.

Image from www.internetmatters.org

Things that increase the chance of your child accessing inappropriate content include:

Joining social networks before the minimum age (usually 13 years old).
Unsupervised access to the internet in private rather than common spaces at home
Playing games and using apps which are not age appropriate
Streaming content which may show inappropriate material
Limited parental controls to restrict access

Online safety poster.pdf

My child is accessing inappropriate content, what can I do?

First of all, make sure that you have set up a child account for websites they are using (such as YouTube) so you can keep track exactly of what your child has been watching. Most online platforms have parental/family options when accessing them. This includes YouTube, TikTok and even Roblox. Use child friendly apps (such as KidsTube rather than Youtube) to reduce the likelihood of exposure to inappropriate content.

On the link below, there are step-by-step guides depending on the device or application you are wanting to place restrictions on so you reduce the likelihood your child does not access inappropriate content. Just click on the drop down list for the appropriate option that you want to set up parental controls for and follow the step-by-step instructions.

https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/#choose-parental-controls-guide

My child is spending too much time on their device, what can I do?

You can set time limits for particular apps or on the device itself if you feel like your child is spending too much time on their devices. Advice from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests that children should have some TV free days, or have a two hour limit on the time spent in front of screens.

If you click on the link below, it has some advice on different applications (such as YouTube) or different devices (such as Apple or Samsung). Follow the instructions for the appropriate item for you to reduce screen time for your child.

https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/screen-time/resources/#tech_tools

https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/#choose-parental-controls-guide