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West Thornton Primary School

Online safety

Stay safe on the Internet - top tips for parents and carers.
  • Talk with your child about Internet safety as soon as he/she begins using the Internet. It is never too early to start discussing the importance of being a good digital citizen.
  • Use age-appropriate filtering, blocking and monitoring software on all Internet-enabled devices used by your child, including laptops, wireless phones and video games.
  • Stay involved in your child’s online world by setting limits on his/her “screen time” and monitoring who your child is communicating with online. Get to know the web sites your child is visiting and educate yourself about your child’s online activities.
  • Explain to your child that he/she should never give out personally identifiable information online. For example, your child should understand that he/she should not post detailed information about his/her whereabouts.
  • Make sure your child knows never to meet someone they met online face-to-face without first talking with you about the situation.
  • Tell your child to never share their passwords with anyone, including friends.
  • Explain the consequences of posting inappropriate material online. For example, a child’s reputation can be impacted by a status entry or an image that is shared.
  • Monitor your child’s mobile phone usage and review text messages sent and received, including images downloaded and uploaded.
  • Educate yourself on the latest threats facing kids online (e.g., cyberbullying, sexting, etc.) and arm yourself with information that will allow you to talk to your child about being a good digital citizen.
Safety Online

The Click CEOP button (pictured below) is an asset of the National Crime Agency CEOP command. The CEOP command works to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline. Click the button to report a concern.

Guides for Staying safe

For more information on staying safe online you can visit: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

The NOS (National Online Safety) website has plenty of detailed guides on how best to stay safe online. You can visit their site here.

The National Cyber Security Centre has advice on how to stay safe  here

What have you signed up for?

If you have any concern about a particular app or game or how to keep your child safe there are some useful guides to be found here

The Child Commissioner has written some 'jargon free' terms and conditions for adults and parents to see exactly what users agree to when signing up to use an app. These terms and conditions can be found below:

Instagram

Snapchat

WhatsApp

Facebook

YouTube

How to talk about #Onlinesafety

Click here for Childnet's advice on what and how to discuss staying safe online with your child. Click here to find ways of starting that conversation.

The government's Thinkuknow website has lots of activities for staying safe. You can view them here

Internet Matters

Keeping your children safe online matters.  "Internet Matters" is an independent, not-for-profit organisation which aims to help parents keep their children safe online.  We believe in maximising children’s potential online, while staying safe, and Internet Matters can help parents to address this important issue.  

www.internetmatters.org

Internet Watch Foundation

If you see any criminal sexual content online you can report it anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation.

https://report.iwf.org.uk/en

ParentPort

If your child has seen any type of content online or offline, that you think is unsuitable for them, you can report it using ParentPort.

http://www.parentport.org.uk/

Online Safety Resources