Online Safety
Digital
Digital Parenting is a free online safety guide created by The Vodafone Foundation and Parent Zone. It is packed with important safety information and expert advice on issues such as healthy screen time and sleep.
If you want to set parental controls on apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, here's how to do it.
Teenagers love WhatsApp - as do a lot of parents. Here's what you need to know about it...
Sadly, once your child explores the online world, they may find a troll waiting for them. Here's how to help them cope.
The growth of social media has brought with it some strange modern phenomena. One of the more recent ones is the viral online challenge...
The digital world is so new that half the time we don't know what the rules are. In fact, there are plenty of laws governing what you can and can't do online. Here's our guide to what you should and shouldn't be doing online (legally, anyway).
Filters and parental controls may not be the complete answer to keeping children safe online, but they are undoubtedly the first line of defence. It's now possible to set filters on your broadband, your devices and your applications. Here, from Internet Matters, is what you need to know.
The internet is a wonderful resource for young people and offers unprecedented opportunities for connecting and learning. But it can also be scary. Many parents are afraid their children will be exposed to upsetting content or meet dangerous people online. What are the facts about online risk?
You’ve probably heard of public shaming. It’s a centuries-old punishment, for anything from a crime to someone doing something others feel is morally wrong. But what is online shaming? And how does it differ?
The average age of someone involved in cybercrime is just 17 years old. It's dropped from 24 since last year. Here are some tips on making sure you're aware of what your cyber-savvy child is up to, and encouraging them to use their skills positively.
Support organisations for young people and parents who are concerned about what young people are having to deal with online.
Wondering what your children are tapping into their phones? Or, in fact, what it means? Here's our parent's guide to some popular teen chat acronyms and slang words.
You don't stop educating your children once they've learnt their phonics. They need to move up to understanding the meaning of what they're reading. In the same way, once your child is online and you're filtering and monitoring in the right way for their age, there's still a job to do. Here's a useful breakdown of what it means to be digitally literate, with some good news for parents.
You can't shield your child from every risk in the online world, any more than you can offline. So how do you help them to be digitally literate (what does that even mean?) And what kind of parenting approach is most likely to help them stay safe?
Apps and social media
YouNow is a live video and chat app that's popular with young people. What should you know about it?
Musical.ly is an app for creating and sharing lip sync videos among friends. What do parents and carers need to know about it?
Everything you need to know about the popular smartphone game, including parental concerns and safety tips.
With the summer holidays just around the corner, we've gathered some of the most exciting apps we’ve found to get kids outdoors and enjoy what nature has to offer.
Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps out there. Here's what parents need to know.
Kids can't get enough of the video sharing site. Read CEOP's comprehensive guide to everything parents need to know about it.
ooVoo is a group video chat service that has been the source of some controversy, with fears that children are giving away information to people they don't know. Like any popular online tool, used wisely it's great; used unwisely it can be a platform for problems. Here's everything you need to know about what ooVoo is, how to use it safely, and how to report anything worrying.
Ask.fm is anonymous and has been known to lead to cyberbullying and taunting. Here is CEOP’s guide to Ask.fm in a series of FAQs for parents.
Does the fact that photos disappear from Snapchat make it completely safe to use? If things do go wrong, what can you do?
Instagram is now bigger than twitter. What's the big attraction? And is there anything you need to know?
‘Teens turn to, and are obsessed with whichever environment allows them to connect to friends. Most teens aren’t addicted to social media; if anything, they’re addicted to each other.’
There's been quite a lot of interest recently in monitoring apps, which allow you to track your child, alerting you to where they are and what they're doing. Sounds like a brilliant idea, no? But experts warn you should think twice before putting your child under surveillance. We look at the pros and cons.
Online identity
What goes online stays online. Some advice to help you and your child understand the long-term implications of publishing all about your life.
A tattoo is permanent, much like the information we post online. CEOP gives their top tips on making sure your child's online reputation is just as good as their offline one.
Online identity > Sexting
What is sexting? Is it illegal to share naked or partially naked images of young people? Why has it become such a common activity? And how do you alert your child to the risks?
Sexting is almost the norm among some young people but sharing images of anyone under the age of 18 is illegal. So what should you say about sexting to your child? And how to respond if your child has sent an image they regret?
CEOP's Thinkuknow recently produced 4 short animated films on young people and taking nude selfies, and how to respond if your child sends a picture they regret. The films are based on research conducted over two years. Here CEOP underlines some of the key points.
Online identity > iRights
There is deep concern about the impact the internet is having on families, especially on children and young people. iRights is a coalition calling for five basic rights that children and young people should have online.
Online identity > Selfies
91% of teens have taken a selfie. Should parents be worried or are they just harmless fun?
Even world leaders take selfies... In this video, Vicki Shotbolt of The Parent Zone talks about the hazards of online flirting via photos - and what to tell your child.
Filters
What are children really seeing online? Do parental filters work? Our stats may surprise you...
Google is often the first port of call for homework and curiosity of all kinds. Here's how to guard against adult content appearing in your children's Google searches.
YouTube's SafetyMode allows parents to restrict the content their children see. Here's our quick'n'dirty guide to setting it up.
Coding and computing
Too many children have memories of dull ICT lessons acquiring skills that will probably be outdated by the time they start work. But the new computing curriculum, introduced this school year, is a really exciting (and world-leading) development. Simon Humphreys of Computing at School explains why.
Gaming
Video games all come with age ratings - but there are a lot of them, so what do they mean?
Illegal content
Would you know what to do if you or a member of your family came across an illegal image online? The Internet Watch Foundation runs a hotline for reporting criminal online content in a secure and confidential way.
A quarter of 9-16 year-olds have told researchers they’d seen sexual images in the past year. Is the ready availability of porn everywhere changing young people's attitudes to sex and relationships?
Worried that your child may be accessing undesirable content online? Try our checklist of precautions and ways to respond.
Boundaries
We hear a lot about the negative effects on children of using the internet - but it can also be a positive thing...
Reporting
If your child has come across something upsetting online - or something you think may be illegal - here's what to do about it.
What can you do if your child is talking online to someone they don't know in the real world and you're suspicious? What if you think they're being asked to do things, share images, encouraged to meet? CEOP - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection command of the National Crime Agency and one of the partners behind Parent Info - is the answer. This is how and where to report your concerns.
