Start with what your child actually uses

Ask your child to show you the games, learning tools or messaging spaces they use. Find out what they enjoy, who can contact them and what happens when something goes wrong. A curious conversation is more likely to reveal the real experience than a discussion based only on a service’s name.

Check the service’s age requirements and available family controls before setting up an account. Use accurate age information. Agree which features are suitable for the child’s stage and needs, and review the arrangement when a new device, game or social group is introduced.

Protect accounts and personal information

Help children understand that names, location, school details, photographs and routines can reveal more than expected. Review who can see a profile, send messages or add the child to a group. Turn off unnecessary location sharing and check settings again after major changes to an app.

Use strong, distinct passwords and additional account protection where available. Keep school logins separate from other accounts and teach children not to share them with friends. For a suspicious message about a school account, check through the school’s known contact route rather than following an unexpected link or sending a password.

Make asking for help feel safe

Agree that a child can tell a trusted adult about an upsetting message, unwanted contact or mistake. Stay calm when they do. If every disclosure immediately becomes a punishment, a child may be less willing to explain the next problem. You can address a broken rule while still making help available.

Practise the ordinary steps for leaving a conversation, blocking a user and reporting a concern. Explain that pressure to keep a relationship or request secret is something to bring to an adult. If there is a serious safeguarding concern, contact the school’s safeguarding lead or the appropriate police reporting route promptly.

Teach critical thinking about content

Discuss who created a post, what they want the viewer to do and whether evidence supports the claim. Advertising, edited images, impersonation and fabricated content can appear alongside useful information. A confident presentation or a large number of reactions does not prove accuracy.

For schoolwork, help children distinguish finding information from understanding it. Encourage them to explain an answer and check it against the task and reliable material supplied by school. If a tool generates an answer, the pupil still needs to follow the school’s rules about permitted use and show their own learning.

Connect online behaviour with everyday respect

Messaging and group chats can extend school friendships beyond the classroom. Agree reasonable boundaries around timing, notifications and how children speak to one another. Remind them that forwarding a humiliating image or joining in with a cruel joke can affect someone long after the original message.

If online bullying involves pupils or school relationships, tell the school and use the service’s reporting tools. Preserve ordinary evidence where appropriate, but do not forward or make extra copies of sexual images involving children. Seek safeguarding advice about those situations. Do not encourage retaliation or an adult argument inside a children’s group chat.

Keep routines under review

Agree where devices are used and stored, how schoolwork fits around entertainment and what happens when a new service is requested. Make the arrangements understandable and realistic for the family. Controls should support supervision and conversation rather than create an assumption that every risk has been removed.

Ask school how online safety is taught and how to report a concern involving school systems. Review the plan as the child becomes more independent. The goal is a young person who can enjoy useful technology, question what they encounter and recognise when they need another person’s help.

Your quick checklist

  • Explore the services your child uses together.
  • Check privacy, contact and location settings.
  • Keep school accounts secure.
  • Practise blocking, reporting and asking for help.
  • Review family routines when devices or needs change.
More tools for your family

Common questions

Are parental controls enough on their own?

No. They can help, but children also need conversation, age-appropriate supervision and a clear route to report concerns.

Should I read every message my child sends?

Agree supervision that suits the child’s age, needs and risks, with clear expectations. Keep trust and the ability to ask for help central to the arrangement.

Can school help with a problem outside school hours?

Tell school when its pupils, systems or relationships are involved. A serious safeguarding concern may also need the relevant police or specialist reporting route.

Sources & checking

This guide was checked against the publications below. They are listed by name so you can identify the underlying guidance. Arrangements can change, and the school or relevant education authority can confirm what applies to your child.

  • Department for Education — Teaching online safety in schools
  • Department for Education — Safeguarding and remote education
  • UK Government — Online safety and media literacy

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