The following resources provide guidance for parents and carers to keep children safe online. They will, amongst other things, support parents to talk to their children about a range of online safety issues, set up home filtering in a child-friendly way and set up age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices:

• Thinkuknow by the National Crime Agency - Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (NCA-CEOP) provides resources for parents and carers and children of all ages to help keep children safe online.
• Childnet has developed guidance for parents and carers to begin a conversation about online safety, as well as guidance on keeping under-fives safe online.
• Parent Info is a collaboration between Parent Zone and NCA-CEOP, providing support and guidance for parents and carers related to the digital world from leading experts and organisations.
• National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has guidance for parents and carers to help keep children safe online.
• UK Safer Internet Centre provides tips and advice for parents and carers to keep children safe online - you can also report any harmful content found online through the UK Safer Internet Centre.

What are the issues?

The internet – on the whole is an inspiring and positive place.

The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices.

However, the internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge.

You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills  than you do, however children and young people still need advice and  protection when it comes to managing their lives online.

Issues that your child may encounter on the internet will vary depending on their age and online activities.

 Parental controls:

Children are gaining access to and owning their own devices from an  ever younger age. Devices can be great for learning and development, however parents should be aware of the content available online and  the chance of your child seeing something they shouldn’t when online.

Pre-installed parental controls are available for most devices, laptops and consoles and are part of the system when you buy them. You can   often download e-safety apps and software to supplement these controls. But the most important thing is to set the controls on the device itself.

• Parental controls – Entertainment & search engines
• Parental controls – Broadband & mobile networks

Know your social media

We would like to provide parents with the information they need to understand their child’s online world and help them keep their children safe  online.

ESafety Tips for Parents

• InternetMatters.org is a not-for-profit organisation that has a simple purpose – to help keep children safe in the digital world.

Be Share Aware – Keep your child safe online

We tell our children it’s good to share – but online it’s different. In fact  sometimes sharing online can be dangerous. Being Share Aware will  help keep your child safe online.

Watch and share a short film and take a look at some straightforward advice that will untangle the web, and give parents confidence in talking to their children about how to stay safe online.