Explore together
Talk to your child about what the internet is and explore it together so you can show them all the great fun and educational things they can do.
Put yourself in control
Install parental controls on your home broadband. Most internet-enabled devices also allow you to set parental controls so you can manage what content your child
can see and how they interact with others online.
Use passwords
Keep your devices out of reach and set passwords on all your internet-enabled devices and don’t share them. Then you’ll know when and where your child is
accessing the internet. You can also make sure they’re not making additional purchases when they’re playing games or using apps.
Search safely
Use safe search engines such as Swiggle or Kids-search. You can save time by adding these to your ‘Favourites’. Safe search settings can also be activated
on Google and other search engines, as well as YouTube.
Be involved
Encourage them to use devices in a communal area like the lounge or kitchen so you can keep an eye on how they’re using the internet and also share in their
enjoyment.
Manage access
Set your homepage to a child-friendly site like CBeebies and create a user account for your child on the family computer or device which only allows access to sites
you’ve chosen.
Help them learn through games
You can choose safe, fun and educational online games to play with your child and that you’ll be confident about them exploring. You can find good free of charge
examples from companies like Disney Junior, Nick Jr and Fisher Price.
Set boundaries
It’s never too early to start setting boundaries. Set some rules about how long your child can spend online.