Key Information

Online Safety

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The internet is an important part of children’s daily lives, offering learning, creativity, and connection, but it also comes with risks. Schools teach online safety, but parental support at home is essential to reinforce safe and responsible online behaviour.

Children’s Digital Playground

Today’s children grow up with a digital playground that includes social media, video sharing, online gaming, and AI tools. While these offer many benefits, any platform that connects children with others - especially strangers, can carry risks.

Four main online activities:

• Social media

• Watching or creating videos

• Homework and schoolwork

• Online gaming

As children gain independence and access to more online spaces, the content and interactions they encounter change, increasing potential risks.

Online Gaming

• Many children play online games, and a number of these play with people they do not know.

• Most games allow communication via text or voice chat, which can expose children to inappropriate language, content, or harmful interactions.

• Boys are slightly more likely to play online games, but participation is high across all ages.

• Parental controls are available on most games to help manage access and monitor interactions.

Social Media

• Social media use grows as children get older, with girls slightly more likely to post content than boys.

• Children are mostly passive users, observing rather than actively posting.

• Risks include exposure to inappropriate images, videos, violence, offensive language, pornography, and unrealistic beauty standards.

• Positive guidance from parents, along with parental controls and privacy settings, can reduce exposure to harmful content.

Popular age restrictions:

Video Sharing

• Platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch are widely used by children. By age 17, nearly all children watch online videos.

• Risks include exposure to inappropriate content and oversharing personal information.

• Children who post or stream videos should understand privacy settings and safe sharing practices.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AI usage is growing among children, with many children having used AI tools.

• AI can be beneficial for learning, but risks include AI-generated fake news, social media content, images, and scams.

• Teaching children to recognise AI content and use AI safely is increasingly important.

Key Online Safety Risks

• Content: Exposure to age-inappropriate videos, images, or messages.

• Contact: Interactions with strangers or potentially harmful individuals.

• Conduct: Cyberbullying or unsafe online behaviour.

• Contract: Sharing personal data or falling for scams.

How Parents Can Support

• Understand the digital world: Recognise that children grow up in a different online environment than previous generations, with greater peer pressure to have an online presence.

• Engage with children: Explore the apps, games, and platforms they use. Play, watch, or create together to model safe behaviour.

• Encourage creativity: Promote online creation (art, video, music, games) rather than passive consumption.

• Set boundaries: Implement age-appropriate rules, screen time limits, and guidance on posting or sharing online.

• Model positive behaviour: Children learn from adult habits, so parents should demonstrate responsible online use.

• Stay informed: Use trusted websites such as Internet Matters and UK Safer Internet Centre for updates on apps, games, and online risks.

• Treat mistakes as learning opportunities: Children may encounter risks online; providing guidance after mistakes helps them develop safe habits.

Parental Tools

• Home Filtering: Many broadband providers offer free filtering to block inappropriate content.

• Parental Controls: Available for devices, apps, consoles, and games to manage screen time and access.

• Google Family Link: Monitor and manage Android devices.

• iOS Parental Controls: Control app access, screen time, and content on Apple devices.

• Internet Matters Guides: Comprehensive guides for consoles, apps, and devices.

Support and Resources

• Internet Matters

• UK Safer Internet Centre

Children will make mistakes online. With guidance and support, they can learn to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.