Keeping Children Safe Online A Practical Guide for Parents and Carers

For children, the online world is not separate from real life. It is where they play, learn, chat to friends and explore their interests. Understanding what they do there is the first step in keeping them safe.

The benefits are real: access to knowledge, creativity, connection and entertainment. The risks fall into several categories, often described as content, contact, conduct and commerce. Content risks include seeing material that is violent, sexual, hateful or otherwise unsuitable. Contact risks involve being approached by adults or others who mean harm, including grooming. Conduct risks involve children's own behaviour and that of their peers, including bullying, sharing intimate images and risky challenges. Commerce risks include in-app purchases, scams and targeted advertising.

Most children will encounter something upsetting at some point, and most will cope with support. The aim is not to eliminate all risk, which is impossible, but to reduce it, help children to recognise problems and ensure that they know where to turn.

Parental controls are not perfect, but they help to reduce risk, particularly for younger children.

Controls work at several levels. On devices, phones, tablets, games consoles and computers all have built-in family settings, such as Apple's Screen Time, Google Family Link, Microsoft Family Safety and console parental controls. These let you filter content by age, set time limits, approve apps and purchases and limit who can contact your child. On your home network, many broadband providers offer free filters that block inappropriate sites across all devices, which you can switch on through your account or router. Within apps, social media, video platforms and games have their own safety settings, such as private accounts, restricted messaging and age-appropriate modes.

Set them up together and explain why. Choose age-appropriate settings and review them as your child grows. Check that devices are set up with the child's real age, since many safety features depend on it. Be aware that children can find ways around controls, and that filters can both block harmless material and miss harmful content. Controls are a safety net, not a substitute for supervision and conversation.

Protect purchases. Switch off or password-protect in-app purchases and link accounts to a limited balance rather than a bank card. Make sure that your own devices and accounts are secure, since children may use them.

Several systems exist to guide what is suitable for children, though many families are unaware of them.

Games in the UK carry PEGI ratings of 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18, which show the age suitability of the content, and it is illegal to sell games rated 12 or above to children below those ages. Films and many streaming programmes have age ratings, and streaming services offer children's profiles. The ratings describe the content, not the difficulty, so read the descriptors and watch trailers or gameplay.

Most major social media and messaging platforms set a minimum age of 13 in their terms, though many younger children use them, often through false birthdates. Check what is appropriate for your child, and think carefully about the pressure to join. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, platforms have legal duties to protect children from harmful content, to carry out age checks in certain circumstances and to provide ways to report problems, and Ofcom regulates compliance. Rules and enforcement continue to develop, so look at Ofcom and NSPCC guidance for the current position.

Be aware of the law on images. Taking, sharing or possessing sexual images of anyone under 18, including images taken by a young person of themselves, is illegal under the Protection of Children Act 1978, and the police take a proportionate approach to young people sharing images consensually. If a child's image has been shared, the Report Remove service from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation helps young people to have it removed.

Open conversation does more to protect children than any filter. It needs to start early and carry on.

Be curious, not accusing. Ask children what they enjoy online, who they talk to, what games they play and what is funny or annoying. Play and explore together, particularly with younger children. Show interest in their world, and be ready to learn from them. If you react with anger or confiscation when they tell you about a problem, they may not tell you the next time. Make it clear that they will not be in trouble for telling you about something upsetting, whether or not they did something unwise.

Teach the essentials in age-appropriate terms. Keep personal information private, including full names, addresses, schools and phone numbers. People online may not be who they say they are. Do not meet anyone you only know online without a trusted adult. Think before you post, because it can be shared and may last. Be kind online. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, scared or confused, stop, take a screenshot if you can, and tell a trusted adult. It is never the child's fault if someone is mean, or tries to trick them.

Talk about difficult subjects, such as pornography, sharing nudes and online pressure, before they happen, in a calm and matter-of-fact way. Many resources and guides for parents are available from the NSPCC, Internet Matters and the UK Safer Internet Centre.

Most online experiences are harmless, but parents should know the signs that a child may be in difficulty.

Possible signs include changes in behaviour or mood, becoming withdrawn, secretive or anxious, being upset after using a device, a sudden reluctance to use it or an obsessive need to use it, unexplained gifts or money, new online friends, using devices late at night, and changes in sleep, eating or schoolwork. These can have many causes, so do not jump to conclusions, but do talk to your child.

Grooming is a process in which an adult builds a relationship with a child, to prepare them for abuse or exploitation. Groomers may pretend to be the same age, flatter the child, offer gifts, play games with them, seek to isolate them, ask for secrecy and move conversations to private apps. They may ask for images or use threats. Warning signs include a child with a new online friend who encourages secrecy, who sends gifts, or who asks them to move to another platform. Sextortion, in which criminals threaten to share intimate images unless paid, targets teenage boys in particular, and the advice is to stop contact, not pay, keep evidence and tell a trusted adult and the police. It is not the child's fault.

If you are worried, stay calm, listen, reassure your child and do not blame them. Keep any evidence, such as screenshots. Report to the platform, and to the police through 101, or 999 if there is immediate danger. You can also report online sexual abuse of children to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection command, known as CEOP. The NSPCC helpline is on 0808 800 5000.

Safety is only part of the picture. Children also need balance and, in time, the ability to manage on their own.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health encourages parents to focus on the content and context of screen use and whether it displaces sleep, play, exercise and family time, instead of focusing on fixed limits. Agree family routines, such as phone-free meals and no devices in bedrooms at night, and make sure that your child has plenty of offline activities and friendships. Be a good role model.

As children grow, gradually give them more independence, with clear expectations and support. Teenagers need privacy and autonomy, and approaches based on surveillance and punishment often backfire. Instead, keep talking, agree boundaries and use trust as the basis. Help young people to think critically about what they see, to understand how platforms work and to value their own wellbeing.

Stay informed. Technology changes rapidly, and what worries you now may be different from what concerns you in two years. Follow trusted sources, talk to other parents and your child's school, and keep learning alongside your children. If you are unsure, reach out for advice.