These pages are to provide some help with setting up parental controls for your children on the internet to keep them safe. It also contains lots of other useful hints and tips. We all realise how important it is to keep our children safe when they are online and using the internet. Please visit the websites below for the latest e-safety information. The Internet Matters website in particular, has lots of tips and advice on how each member of the family can stay safe as possible when surfing the web. It gives interactive, step-by-step guidance on how to set Parental Controls for the main Internet Service Providers.

NSPCC Online Safety Workshop for parents

Data from 2022 shows that:
97% of homes with 0-18 year olds had access to the internet.
87% of 3-4 year olds went online.
89% of children played video games.
96% of children engaged with video sharing platforms.

The NSPCC has produced an Online Workshop to provide parents and carers with information about how to support their child in their online world. It covers topics to help: manage risk, recognise potential abuse, manage young gamers and deal with online bullying. It also talks through parental controls and screen time vs screen use, in terms of quality vs quantity. The final section suggests that as adults, we role model appropriate online behaviour, and follow the 6 top tips.

You can follow this link to access the full video: 
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/free-online-safety-group-workshops/

Online safety webinar from the team in the South East region
HMI Dan Lambert and SHMI Hilary Macdonald discuss online safety with Lorin LaFave of The Breck Foundation. The webinar features four short films, covers what Ofsted looks at on inspection, and highlights plenty of tips. This handout for further sources of information was available during the webinar: https://www.slideshare.net/Ofstednews/online-safety-useful-information-for-children-parents-and-staff

Guidance for parents and mobile devices

Texting & Messaging Key Points

Whilst we all agree that mobile technology is great in allowing our children easy access to the internet and to contact friends and relations, we must also be aware of our responsibilities when we allow our children access to these technologies.

Do you know who your children are texting or messaging? Do you know what they are saying? Are they bullying or intimidating? Are they being bullied or intimidated by others?

There are simple steps you can take to make sure your children are texting and messaging responsibly.

1. Do not allow them to have private accounts – know their passwords and user names so you can check their texts and messages. Check their messages on a regular basis. Facebook does not allow children under 13 to have an account.

2. Do not allow your children to have their phone or tablet in their bedroom, make sure they use these devices where other members of the family are around and only at certain times.

3. If your child does receive unpleasant messages block the number from their device – teach them how to do this. Do not reply; keep the message to show someone and tell a trusted adult as soon as possible.

4. Encourage your child to think before they text or message. They should think: Could my message be misunderstood? What do I really want to say? Would I say this if I was talking face to face with the person?

For further information please visit: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/