Online Safety

Keeping children safe when they are online is exceptionally important.

On this page you will find information and links to how together we can help keep children safe online.

Golden Rules for Safe Internet Browsing

Children should ideally only add people on social media sites that they know and trust in real life.
Take an interest and suggest they add you as a friend so you can keep an eye on them when they first join.
Sadly some predatory paedophiles can convincingly pose as another teenager and may spend months or years 'grooming' the victim until they meet face to face.
Children must always be accompanied by an adult if meeting an online friend in person.
Don't ban children from these sites; they will just use them at friend's houses or on their phone, personal media player or hand-held games console.
Have the main computer in a communal area of the home where there is a passive supervision and be reasonable about time online.
Talk if you feel it's getting out of hand, but remember how many hours you spent watching TV when you were their age. The internet is at least active, not passive, and they can learn a lot from it.
If they have a wireless laptop and you want to stop them going online after a quota of hours is up, you could unplug the router where the phone line comes into the house.

Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated and hostile manner.

Bullying is not new and children can be unkind to each other online, but now the technology has changed making it easier to track and prove who is responsible.

If you suspect your child is having a problem, the evidence will be on your device. If you can print off copies of messages and screenshots of web postings, it can be investigated appropriately.