A practical guide to online safety for under 8s

Practical tips to ensure your child's screen time is safe and rewarding

There's a whole new world out there ... a digital one ... and our kids are clamouring to explore it.   But how can we, as parents, help them discover its riches and protect them from its perils when it's all new to us?  And constantly changing! 

This quick guide for parents provides instant practical steps we can take to make the digital world a safer place for our kids to play and learn.

Enjoy the internet together

How to involve your kids in everyday online activity to build practical online skills and demonstrate the convenience of technology.

Ensure screen time is safe and monitored

Tips on setting boundaries and how to ensure you know where your kids are exploring online.

Frequently Asked Questions

HOW CAN WE SHARE ONLINE TIME TOGETHER?


Invloving your kids in everyday online activities helps build practical skills and demonstrates the convenience of technology.

SHOULD I RESTRICT ACCESS?


Creating boundaries, separate logins and ringfenced content is vital to ensure you know where young children are online.

WHAT ABOUT WHEN I'M NOT THERE?


Ensuring the right parental controls are setup is paramount. But, like most things kids need to feel they have some freedom to explore. It's essential to discuss the key issues for your child's age and teach them to keep themselves safe online.

HOW DO I TEACH THEM THE GOOD AND THE BAD OF THE INTERNET?

It's important you don't scare kids off the internet. However, like the wolf in Red Riding Hood, not everyone online is who they say they are. It's never safe to meet a stranger, especially someone who they have only spoken to online. 

HOW MUCH SCREEN TIME SHOULD I ALLOW?


We prefer to focus on the quality not just the quantity of children's screentime (including TV!) It's all too easy to become a passive user of technology. Rather download apps and content that stimulate thinking and creating. Apps like ScratchJR are a great introduction to coding. The right limit will be different for different children at different ages, but should be discussed, explained and agreed with them.