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.
We would like to signpost parents and carers to two excellent sources of up-to-date online safety information and support.
The Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI), in partnership with Childnet, has launched a series of short online safety webinars designed to help parents and carers understand and respond to the online issues children and young people may encounter. Topics include parental controls, group chats, online bullying, image sharing, grooming, sextortion and harmful online content. Each webinar includes practical advice, conversation starters and links to further support.
🔗 https://onlinesafetyhub.safeguardingni.org/online-safety-mini-webinars-for-parents-and-carers/
Internet Matters has expanded its guidance for families of children with additional needs. The resource provides tailored advice to help children with SEND navigate the online world safely, covering topics such as safe communication, screen time, privacy, critical thinking, online relationships, emotional wellbeing and what to do when things go wrong online.
🔗 https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/additional-needs-support/
We encourage all parents and carers to explore these resources to help support safe, positive and responsible online experiences for children and young people.
Message from Education from the National Crime Agency
AI Child Sexual Abuse Imagery: Guidance for Parents and Carers
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, one emerging concern is the misuse of AI to create, manipulate or share child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Following the publication of our guidance for professionals, we’ve developed new guidance for parents and carers, in collaboration with the Internet Watch Foundation. This guidance helps families understand how AI can be misused and what to do if an incident occurs.
The guidance helps parents and carers to:
Understand how AI works and how it can be used to manipulate or generate images
Recognise what counts as CSAM, including AI-generated and edited content
Take practical steps to reduce risk, such as reviewing privacy settings and managing image sharing
Talk to children about AI, online safety, and image consent
Please find the link below to the guidance;
https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/professionals/guidance/ai-guidance-for-parents/
Kids Online Safety – Government Guidance
We encourage all parents and carers to visit the UK Government’s Kids Online Safety website. It provides clear, up‑to‑date advice on supporting children to stay safe online, including managing risks, understanding online platforms, and having open conversations at home.
Access the guidance here: https://kidsonlinesafety.campaign.gov.uk/
These are free webinars and resources to support you to keep your children safe online.
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The recording and the workshop resources are all located on the DDSCP Online Harms webpage and be found under the heading NSPCC online safety workshops.
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
https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/0-5/online-safety-video-guides-early-years/
