Many children go online to enjoy activities like games, films or chat rooms with friends and family. You’ll need to support your child while they are online to make sure they are safe.
Let your child know you want to help protect them. Ask them they can talk to you about anything that worries or upsets them. Keep the conversation going even if they don’t want to open up at first – this will make it easier for them to talk to you or show you what they are looking at.
Stay with or near your child when they are online, so you know what they are accessing and who they are communicating with. This means you’ll be there if they run into any difficulties. Encourage your child to treat people with kindness and respect, as if they were talking to them face-to-face.
If your child has found new ‘friends’ online, remind them that people can pretend to be someone else online. Tell your child to treat anyone they meet online as a stranger, even if the person seems to be genuine. You can ask to see who they are speaking to or look at the messages. Tell your child not to share personal information, like their full name or address.
Problems your child may encounter on the internet
- Cyberbullying is a way of using the internet to target and upset someone.
- Online grooming is when an adult gets friendly with a child and takes advantage of them. Encourage your child to follow their instincts and speak to a trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable about something. Call 999 if you are worried that your child is at immediate risk.
- Online record – everything that is written or uploaded online will be recorded and can be accessed by others. This could impact them throughout their life.
- Seeing upsetting things including violent or sexual content. Set up parental controls on all devices used for accessing the internet, to prevent your child from seeing distressing or inappropriate content.
Useful resources
- NSPCC and Childnet.com provide online safety help and advice for parents and carers.
- To report criminal activity, visit the Internet Watch Foundation.
- You can also contact the Kent School Health Service – we really want to hear from you if you feel you need more support for you and your child.