Use this list of practical tips to help children aged 6 to 10 to have a safer online experience and build up their resilience to get the best out of the digital world as they grow. You’ll also find a range of helpful tools and expert tips for further support here.

Agree boundaries

Be clear what your child can and can’t do online – where they can use the internet, how much time they can spend online, the sites they can visit and the type of information they can share. Agree with your child when they can have a mobile phone or tablet.

Explore together

The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to talk with them about what they do and what sites they like to visit. Ask them to show you or play online games together to learn about the platforms and teach them good e-safety habits.

Put yourself in control

Install parental controls on your home broadband and any internet-enabled devices to manage internet safety. Set up a user account for your child on the main device they use and make sure other accounts in the household are password-protected so that younger children can’t access them by accident.

Use airplane mode

Use airplane mode on your devices when your child is using them so they can’t make any unapproved purchases or interact with anyone online without your knowledge.

Stay involved

Encourage them to use their tech devices in a communal area like the lounge or kitchen so you can keep an eye on how they’re using the internet and also share in their enjoyment.

Talk to siblings

It’s also a good idea to talk to any older children about what they do online and what they show to younger children. Encourage them to be responsible and help keep their younger siblings safe.

Search safely

Use safe search engines such as Swiggle or Kids-search. You can save time by adding these to your ‘Favourites’. Safe search settings can also be activated on Google and other search engines, as well as YouTube.

Check if it’s suitable

The age ratings that come with games, apps, films and social networks are a good guide to whether they’re suitable for your child. For example, the minimum age limit is 13 for several social media sites, including TikTok and Instagram. However, there are some social media platforms made for children which they can use safely.

As pre-teens become more independent with their use of technology, they become more confident internet users with more varied habits. The internet offers them many benefits, so it’s vital to discuss online safety regularly.

Use this list of practical tips to help pre-teens have a safer online experience and build up their resilience to get the best out of the digital world as they grow. You’ll also find a range of helpful tools and expert tips for further support here.

Teach your child some simple rules 

• Make sure your child knows not to share personal information like their phone number or email address online and if they need to provide this or similar information to sign up for a  service tell them to check with you first. 

• Encourage them to only talk to real-life friends or family  on social media sites and in chatrooms. 

• Show them how to use privacy settings wherever they exist  to keep their information private - remember that the default  on many sites is set to public. Visit our social media privacy  guides for support. 

• As children may go online to widen their group of friends,  set some boundaries when it comes to new friends online. 

• Advise them not to arrange to meet with people in real life  that they’ve only talked with online without talking to you  about it and getting your support.

• Advise them to use secure and legal sites to download  music and games to avoid experiencing the risks associated  with streaming content from unauthorised sites. Visit our  ‘Dangers of digital piracy’ advice hub more advice. 

• Check attachments and pop-ups for viruses before  they click or download anything. 

• Use Public Friendly WiFi when they’re out and about to filter inappropriate content. Also, encourage them to use the  parental control tools on their device just in case they do connect to an unfiltered WiFi - such as at a friend’s house. 

• Make sure they know not to  post things online that  they wouldn’t want you to see

As your child becomes a teenager, it’s likely the internet will be a part of their daily life. They’ll adapt quickly to new technology and use it to communicate, socialise and create. Most teenagers have access to the internet using a smartphone or tablet, and use a wide range of social media sites as a vital part of their relationships with others.

Use this list of practical tips to help teens have a safer online experience and build up their resilience to get the best out of the digital world as they grow. You’ll also find a range of helpful tools and expert tips for further support here.

Stay involved

Keep talking and stay interested in what they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to bring up challenging issues like inappropriate content, sexting, pornography and cyberbullying. It could be embarrassing, but you’ll both benefit from the subjects being out in the open.

Keep their information private

Your child can set privacy settings on most social networking sites so that only close friends can search for them, tag them in a photograph or share what they’ve posted. Talk to them about their personal information, how it can be misused and how they can also take ownership of it.

Stay safe on the move

Use safe settings on all mobile devices but be aware that if your child is accessing the internet using public WiFi, filters to block inappropriate content may not be active. Some outlets, like McDonald’s, are part of family friendly WiFi schemes so look out for RDI Friendly WiFi symbols when you’re out and about. You can also use parental control apps or software on devices to help limit harms on the go.

Be responsible

Talk to your teenager about being responsible when they’re online. Children often feel they can say things online that they wouldn’t say face-to-face. Teach them to always have respect for themselves and others online.

Talk about online reputation

Let them know that anything they upload, email or message could stay around forever online. Remind them they should only do things online that they wouldn’t mind you, their teacher or a future employer seeing. Get them to think about creating a positive digital footprint.

Show you trust them

If you can afford to, give them a small allowance that they can use for spending online so they can download apps, music and films for themselves, from places you agree together.

Don’t give in

Remind them how important it is not to give in to peer pressure to send inappropriate comments or images. Point them to the Send this instead and Zipit apps which will help them deal with these types of requests.

For more information about how to help your child stay safe online check out the National Online Safety website for multi-award-winning online safety courses, guides and resources.

Alternatively, download the latest parent guides here