Safe online together

Children need to learn how to go online safely. To do this, they need positive input from school AND home.

Conduct

Children must be curious to thrive. Help your child explore the digital world safely. Teach them what to do if they see something scary.

1. Four rules for your child

I only go online with a grown-up.
I am kind online.
I keep my personal details (name, home, family) safe and private.
I tell a grown-up when something makes me happy, sad, or scared.

📖 Read together: Hanni and the Magic Window (Great for age 3+) (click on the image to open the book)

2. Rules for Parents & Carers

Model good habits: Children copy what you do, not just what you say.
Keep it kind: Treat people (real or not) online or on any screen the same way you do face-to-face.
Think before you share: Never post nude/bath-time/beach photos of your child. Ask permission before sharing photos of anyone, child or adult. Charity Save the Children has more on this.

3. Managing Screen Time & Routines

Avoid screen distractions: Try not to use devices just to quieten a child or beat boredom in cars or waiting rooms. Facing tough emotions builds resilience.
Agree rules first: Decide when, where, and how long they can play before the screen turns on. Write down what you agree.
Plan the next step: Say what will come after screen time. Use a quick, fun game to bridge the gap (e.g. go through the alphabet and name a food that starts with each letter).
Give them control: Give one or two countdown alerts. Let them press the power button to end screen time, or choose the next thing to do.
Resist pester power: say no to apps or games that are meant for older children. Talk about why.

Contact

Teach your child how to have safe online connections.

Talk. A lot. Talk to them in the street, waiting for the bus, washing up… this makes it a habit and builds their language skills. They don’t have to answer.
Watch together: Co-viewing drops risks and builds shared interests. You also have more to talk about.
Talk about what's real: Genuinely talk about what’s real and what’s made up/AI-generated on screens. It’s OK to say you can’t tell. The NSPCC has ideas of how to do this.
Beware smart toys & AI: Check manuals for connected toys or voice assistants to find out how delete your personal data. Mute microphones when not in use to stop them recording your family.
Device-free zones: Keep our school phone-free rule going at home. Try no phones at the dinner table and keep screens in shared family spaces.
Device-free nights: Put devices to bed in a box. Switch off Wi-Fi at the same time each night.
No Apple AirTags at nursery (or similar trackers). Tagging children breaks the terms of service. It can also accidentally track another child and put them at risk.

Content & Tools

Ensure the apps, games, and videos your child meets help them thrive.

Choose slower options: Opt for slower, educational apps that keep them active. Avoid content designed just to hook young minds.
Check the ratings: Use the BBFC (films and TV), PEGI (games), and Common Sense Media websites to check age and content suitability.
Supervise YouTube: Use the CBBC iPlayer Kids app or YouTube Kids, but never leave a child alone with YouTube open.
Lock down devices: Set up parental controls on your home Wi-Fi and devices using guides on the Internet Matters website. Block pop-ups via your browser settings.
Limit searching: For Google Chrome: Safe Search Kids - Internet Filtering by Google for Safer Search; for Microsoft Bing: Turn Bing SafeSearch on or off (microsoft.com)

Commerce & AI

Real-world money first: Play shop with real coins and compare prices in the supermarket. Help them save up. This helps children understand that digital spending has real-world consequences.
Our AI Rules: At nursery, the children don’t go online but the staff do. We think before using AI, fact-check information, and are always honest about when technology helped us.

Need to know more?

Advice, ideas & controls: Internet Matters, NSPCC, Parent Zone, UK Safer Internet, LGfL, or ParentSafe.
What don’t you know?: Virgin Media online safety test

🔍 Get Help

Emergency or Safety Concerns: Report directly to CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection).
London Grid for learning list helplines for specific situations.

This page is the result of magpied conversations with many families over many years, ideas from all over the place including an article by Steven Howard from the University of Oxford, and then Gemini AI helped cut it down to size.