Online Safety

The internet is an essential part of 21st century life for a variety of reasons such as education, business, and social interaction. Being online is an integral part of children and young people’s lives, it allows children to explore and increase their curiosity. As children grow up they begin to have access to various types of technology such as social media, online games, websites and apps, these can be accessed through mobile phones, computers, laptops and tablets – all of which form a part of children and young people’s online world.

The internet and online technology provides new opportunities for children’s learning and growth and has many positive strands, however it can also expose them to new types of risks. This is why we must safeguard our children.

Explore the information below to support your knowledge and understanding around online safety and how to keep your child safe.

Supportive Resources

Explore the supportive links below to help you when you are using technology.

Internet Matters

A place to find expert support and practical tips to help children benefit from connected technology and how to use the internet safely and smartly. See advice on a range of online issues that your child may face to help them enjoy the digital world safely and smartly. You will also find ways to report if you are worried about anything your child has come across online.

Child Net

Use this link to finds new ways to access education, stay in touch and have fun online. Here are some top tips to help you protect and support your child with their online lives.

NSPCC

View this link to see all popular social networks such as apps and games that your child could be accessing. This will allow you to find key information about the application such as the age rating.

If you’d like advice and support about keeping your children safe online, call free O2 NSPCC Online Safety Helpline on 0808 800 5002.

Alternatively, you can make a face-to-face appointment with an O2 Guru in store – you don’t have to be an O2 customer. O2 Gurus can help you set up parental controls, such as privacy settings, on any device.

PEGI

PEGI helps parents to make informed decisions when buying video games. PEGI provides age classifications for video games in 38 European countries. The age rating confirms that the game is appropriate for players of certain age. PEGI considers the age suitability of a game, not the level of difficulty.

CEOP- Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command

CEOP is a law enforcement agency and is here to help keep children and young people safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. We help thousands of children and young people every year who have been in a similar situation to you. CEOP are unable to respond to reports about bullying, fake accounts or account hacking. It provides children and young people with access to an online mechanism for reporting known or suspected child sexual exploitation or child sexual abuse directly to CEOP. CEOP takes all reports seriously and children of all ages can report through the Click CEOP button.

TEAM Tips

Follow TEAM tips to help keep your child safe online:

Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything.
Explore your child’s online activities with your child. Understand why they like accessing certain things and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe linked to the SMART Rules.
Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games.
Manage your technology and use the settings available to keep your child safe.