St Mary's

Staying Safe on Line.

 

 

While there are huge benefits to being online to stay connected to family and friends during this period, the government recognises many parents feel concerned about the activities and content their children are accessing. Please click here or the link below to access the Government guidance, which outlines resources to help keep children safe from different risks online and where to go to get support and advice.

 

 

These resources will support you to talk to your child 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:

 

 

What harms might my child experience online?

 

You may have concerns about specific harms which children can experience online. There are more resources to help you understand and protect your child from these, including:

 

For more information, guidance or support please click the link below.

Age-inappropriate content and parental controls

 

 If you have downloaded new apps or bought new technology to help stay connected at this time, remember to review and adjust privacy and safety settings if you or your child is signing up to a new online service.

  • Internet Matters has step-by-step guides on how to set up parental controls so that you can control what content your child can access online
  • the UK Safer Internet Centre has guidance on how to switch on family-friendly filters to prevent age-inappropriate content being accessed on devices in your home
  • the NSPCC has more information for parents or carers with concerns about their child seeking inappropriate or explicit content online

 

Apps to help children stay safe online

 

The BBC has a website and app called Own It. The website helps children navigate their online lives, and the free smartphone app comes with a special keyboard which can intervene with help and support in the moments that children need it the most. It can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

SafeToNet is an app for parents to help them protect their children from online risks like cyberbullying and sexting, while respecting their child’s rights to privacy.