Online safety

Keeping your child safe online

Keeping your child safe online can be an uphill battle as there are so many new changes in technology and updates that it can be difficult to stay on top of it. Talking to your child about their online activity is important and taking an interest in what they are doing can help keep those lines of communications open.

Talk to your child about how to keep their personal information safe online. They may be posting things that may open them up to risks, like the name of their school, location check-ins, etc. Also remind them to log out of social networks, especially on public computers as this will minimise the risk of their accounts being hacked and misused.

Educate your child about what they post online as it's important to remember that anything posted online has entered a public domain and is no longer under the control of the person who has posted it. Messages and pictures can be reposted and manipulated and may be seen by people who your child does not them to be seen by. A good question to have in mind when posting online is, "Would I want my grandparents or teachers to see this?" If the answer is "No", then it probably shouldn't go online.

Help your child update their privacy settings to make sure their socials are private, and their location settings are turned off. Ensure that your child does not accept requests or messages from people they do not know as people could be using false names or hiding behind fake profiles. Remind your child to be vigilant and to be suspicious of anyone they do not know.

A guide for parents

Social networking: Most young people are on social networking apps and most of these have a minimum age of 13 years of age. The preferred apps for young people is Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. Instagram is an image and video based social network, TikTok has short videos, and Snapchat is an app that allows users to send pictures to each other that disappear off screen within a set amount of time. If you are worried about any form of bullying on these apps, please read our advice on how to get help.

Instant messaging: this allows users to chat to each other online through private messaging. There are various formats used by different apps, but they all do the same thing. Common platforms are WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook Messenger.

Online chat room: A virtual meeting place where users can chat to each other instantly. Conversations are open and public, and anyone can join in - but users can opt for private chats. Some popular chat rooms are Reddit and Discord.

Forum: A platform or noticeboard where people can post messages - often in response to a topic or subject. The chat isn't live or instant but gets updated as and when people respond to messages. Forums and message boards are often overseen by a moderator.

Online abbreviations to be aware of:

• BRB: Be right back
• IDK: I don’t know
• IDC: I don’t care
• LOL: Laugh out loud
• BRB: Be Right Back
• GTG: Got to go
• K: OK

Other organisations that can help

Report Harmful Content can help you to report harmful content online by providing up to date information on community standards and direct links to the correct reporting facilities across multiple platforms

Childnet can provide help and guidance on online safety

Internet Matters have lots of helpful advice for parents 

Watch our video on helping keep your child safe online for more tips