eSafety
Websites for you to use with your child to discuss eSafety:
Thinkuknow - This website has been specially developed by CEOP for children of all ages to help them to learn about staying safe online. There's information for parents here too.
Kidsmart - Provides help and advice for children using the internet.
Google Safe Search Engine - A search engine for kids searching for websites, images, wiki's and videos.
Top Tips:
- Talk together and have fun learning together.
- Involve everyone and agree your family guidelines and rules. Remember that sometimes what is acceptable for a Year 6 child is not necessarily acceptable for a Year 3 or Reception child.
- Discuss regularly online safety and go online with your children. Communication is the key to eSafety.
- Keep virus and firewall software up to-date.
- Enable your ‘browser safe’ search option and/or consider using internet filtering software, walled gardens and child-friendly search engines.
- Keep the computer in a communal area of the house, where it's easier to monitor what your children are viewing. Never let children have webcams, or similar, in their bedroom.
- Talk to your children about why they should not to give out their personal details. If they want to subscribe to any online service then make up a family email address to receive the mail.
- We all love to chat and children are no different. Encourage your children to use moderated chat rooms and never to meet up with an online ‘friend’ without first discussing it with you.
- Time children spend offline following a range of other activities is equally important. Time spent online should be monitored to help prevent obsessive use of the internet
- Encourage your children, and in fact all family members, to tell you if they feel uncomfortable, upset or threatened by anything they see online.
- Have proportionate responses if the family guidelines are not followed.