CEOP helps any child or young person under the age of 18 who is being
Talking to your child is the key to success in helping keep them safe online
Talking regularly with your child is the greatest tool to help keep them safe online. Talking regularly and making it part of daily conversation, like you would about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed. It also means when they do have any worries, they’re more likely to come and speak to you.
Next steps to take
Having a conversation with your child can give you a good insight into their online activities so that you can consider:
- Are further options, such as parental controls, are required?
- Are the games and apps they’re using appropriate to their age? Have a conversation and agree some rules with your child about what games and apps they’re allowed to use. While there are risks with most online platforms, we’d recommend only letting your child use apps that have privacy settings and a ‘report and block’ feature.
- Do they know about the safety and privacy features of the apps they’re using? Such as:
- Privacy settings. Are their accounts public or private?
- Do they know how to block and report? Are those features available?
- Can you turn features off, such as chat and in-app purchases?
- Do they know what personal and private information is, and what is and is not appropriate to share online?
- What are their profiles on their games and apps? What does the profile say about them? What does the image or avatar say about them?
Advice from the NSPCC:
How to Ensure Your Children Stay Safe While Playing Online Games | NSPCC
Livestreaming and online video apps | NSPCC
Use Parental Controls to Keep Your Child Safe | NSPCC
Advice about all Apps and online games:
Net Aware: Your guide to social networks, apps and games (net-aware.org.uk)
Pennyhill Primary Online Safety Policy: