More and more pre school children own their own tablets or use devices belonging to older siblings or parents to play games and watch their favourite TV shows. Children can now have a digital footprint before they have even learnt to walk.
It is important that we work together to support the digital wellbeing of our children. Digital wellbeing refers to the impact that using digital devices has on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Research shows that children are online for an average of 71 minutes per day, therefore it is essential that we teach our children how to keep themselves safe online from an early age.
At school children only access the Internet in the presence of an adult and only use websites prescribed by the teaching staff. We hope that the information provided on this page gives you the strategies to keep your child safe online at home.
Smartie the Penguin – The Adventures of Smartie the Penguin is a great story for young children that addresses the topics of pop ups and in app purchasing, inappropriate websites and Cyberbullying. You can read the story as a powerpoint below.
Jessie and Friends - Jessie & Friends is a series of three animations that follow the adventures of Jessie as she begins to navigate the online world. The key message throughout is that if a child is ever worried by anything they see online, they should tell a trusted adult. To watch the animations with your child please click on the link.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/jessie-and-friends-videos
NSPCC Online Safety Resources
Please use the link shared below to help keep your young children safe when they are using digital devices that can access the internet at home. This includes IPads, tablets, mobile phones, laptops, gaming devices and the television.
The NSPCC have many resources that can help you to set safe parental controls and have early conversations with your children about online safety.
Remember to check the age rating of any games, programmes, films and apps before your child has access to them and ensure they cannot access any material above the age limits specified.
Remember young children should be supervised when accessing any online content or screen time.
Explore the documents and websites below to find out more information about online safety and speak to a member of staff if you have any concerns or questions.
Useful Websites:
Ceop.police.uk
Childnet.com
Thinkuknow.co.uk
Internetmatters.org
Betterinternetforkids.eu
Saferinternet.org.uk
net-aware.org.uk
