WackySafe tips for online safety

Online activity becomes part of children’s routines early in life. That is why it is important to start talking about staying safe online from a young age.

It is easier to have conversations little and often rather than trying to cover everything at once. As children get older and technology changes, keep talking about what they are doing online and how they can stay safe.

Ask your child to show you their favourite things to do online and take an interest in them, just as you would offline. This gives you a better idea of what they are doing and creates opportunities to support and encourage them while learning what they know.

Children may not think of people they meet through social networks and online games as strangers; they may simply see them as online friends.

Ask how they choose online friends and explain that people can easily lie online about who they are, including their age. Agree on a trusted adult they can speak to if an online contact makes them feel worried, pressured or uncomfortable.

Children should never arrange to meet an online contact without the involvement of a parent or carer.

Agree on ground rules together. These will depend on your child’s age and what is right for your family, but you might consider:

• how much time they can spend online and when
• which websites, apps and activities are suitable
• when it is safe to share images and videos
• treating people kindly and not posting anything they would not say face to face.

For online games, check the age rating, know who they are playing with and discuss what information is safe to share.

You know your child best, so check that the websites, social networks, videos and games they use are suitable for them.

Games, films and online services may have age ratings or minimum ages. These limits are there to help protect children, so do not feel pressured to allow a service you believe they are too young to use.

Parental controls can help filter, restrict or monitor unsuitable content. They may be available from your internet provider, on phones, tablets, computers and games consoles, or through dedicated software.

Controls may not follow a child to public Wi-Fi, mobile data or another home. Agree on safe behaviour for those situations and review controls as your child grows. Controls work best alongside regular conversations, not as a replacement for them.

Internet Matters parental-control guides

Check the privacy settings on the accounts your child uses and remind them to keep personal information private. This includes their full name, location, school, passwords and routines.

Talk about what to do if they see upsetting content or somebody contacts them in a worrying way: stop responding, save evidence, block and report the account, and tell a trusted adult.