E-Safety Tips for Parents

Put yourself in control:

Make use of the parental controls on your home broadband and any internet-enabled devices. You can find out how at your broadband provider’s website or by visiting internetmatters.org.

Search safely:

Use safe search engines such as swiggle.org or kids-search.com. Safe search settings can also be activated on Google and other search engines as well as YouTube. You can find out more at google.co.uk/safetycentre.

Agree boundaries:

Be clear what your child can and can’t do online – where they can use the internet, how much time they can spend online, the sites they can visit and the type of information they can share. Agree with your child when they can have a mobile phone or tablet.

Explore together:

The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to ask them to tell you about it. Put the family computer in a communal area so you can see what sites they’re visiting and share with them.

Check if it’s suitable:

The age ratings that come with games, apps, films and social networks are a good guide to whether they’re suitable for your child. The minimum age limit is 13 for several social networking sites, including Facebook and Instagram.