Google have a super resource to use with KS2 children - Interland. Game based and fun so worth a look. Click here to find it >>> https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/interland
Online Safety for parents - Are you internet savvy? Take the test and click here
- Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
- Watch Thinkuknow films and cartoons with your child. The Thinkuknow site has films, games and advice for children from five all the way to 16.
- Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
- Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online. Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
- Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
- Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
- Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
- Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as difficult to install as you might think. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly.
How to set up the parental controls offered by your internet provider... Click here to go to watch videos from BT, Virgin, Sky and TalkTalk
Do you have a lot of questions about particular devices that children are using or asking for? Guides have been created to answer these questions and introduce some of the most popular devices, highlighting the safety tools available and empowering parents with the knowledge they need to support their children to use these technologies safely and responsibly... Click here to read these guides
We recommend that children in our school do not use Facebook as it is against U.S law to be on it if you are under 13. If you regularly use Facebook to upload pictures of your children please ensure you check the privacy settings of your Facebook account and that settings are set to private.
You may want to remind your child about their activity and behaviour on Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter. Would they say and do the things they do on the internet in reality? Do you?
You may also want to talk to your child about downloading things from the internet and checking their validity. Horrible Histories have some great clips on the CBBC website.