Internet Safety For Parents And Guardians
Online Safety advice for parents during Covid 19
Many families will be encouraging their children to make good use of technology in this time of lockdown with no opportunities to see their classmates “in real life”. Technology can help us all stay in touch safely but we know you will want to make sure that your children are as safe as possible.
Probably the best thing you can do to help your child is to talk to them regularly about how they use technology, which apps and sites they use and who their online friends are. Talk to them about this new way of learning and ask them to share their work with you. Discuss the apps and software they are using and show an interest in their work. Teachers will set guidelines for their classes and the children will have rules to follow online, just as they do in class.
We have pulled together a list of useful sites where you can learn how to keep your child safe, find out about all the up to date apps they are accessing as well as how to set boundaries and guidelines as a family.
Almost all devices allow parental controls to be set. These can be adjusted depending on the ages of the children. They can :-
- Stop children putting new apps on a device until the parents approve them
- Reduce the chance of a child accidentally spending money on virtual goods
- Limit the time that children use a device without having a break
A good starting point is the internet matters website https://www.internetmatters.org/ , go to the SETTING CONTROLS section at the top!
Google – “Be Internet Awesome” have created this page as a Family Guide to Internet Safety.
Keep up to date with the Social Networks, apps and games your child is using. The NSPCC has reviewed the most popular ones right now.
Tutorful have published a parents guide on “How To Keep Kids Safe Online in 2020”, written for parents. It aims to support parents and ensure that they feel confident letting their children explore the internet.The information is clearly laid out and allows easy access to specific topics such as online gaming and social media sites.
Think You Know is the website aimed at children and their parents from the National Crime Agency. It has lots of useful suggestions and advice on how to report issues. It also has games and activities including Jessie and Friends for the younger children and Band Runner for the older ones.
They have created a series of three animated videos to watch and discuss with your child to help them understand the importance of online safety.
Think you know? Play Like Share animations and Band Runner game are part of a package of resources created by the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command, designed to help 8-10 year olds learn how to stay safe online
Using the site below you and your family can sit together and create your own Digital Family Pledge. It’ll take you through key questions and ideas for discussion. ( Sponsored by Vodafone)