Online Safety

Online Safety for Our Youngest Learners: Jessie & Friends (Ages 4–7)

Children are accessing technology and the internet at a younger age than ever before. While the digital world offers wonderful opportunities for learning and play, it is never too early to start talking to your child about how to stay safe online and what to do if something makes them feel worried, scared, or sad.

To support families with this, we highly recommend exploring Jessie & Friends, a fantastic online safety education resource created by CEOP (the child protection command of the National Crime Agency).

What is Jessie & Friends?

Jessie & Friends is a series of three gentle, age-appropriate animations that follow the adventures of Jessie, Tia, and Mo as they begin to navigate the online world.

Instead of showing scary situations, the episodes focus on safe, relatable scenarios that teach young children to listen to their feelings (their "funny tummies") and identify when something online isn’t right. The core message throughout the series is simple but vital: if anything online worries you, tell a grown-up you trust.

The series is broken down into three age-specific episodes:

• Episode 1: Watching Videos (Ages 4–5) – Follows Jessie and her dog as they learn that while watching online videos is fun, they can sometimes stumble upon things that are upsetting, and that it’s always okay to put the tablet down and tell an adult.

• Episode 2: Sharing Pictures (Ages 5–6) – Explores what happens when photos taken at a birthday party are shared further than expected, teaching children about privacy, boundaries, and the importance of consent.

• Episode 3: Playing Games (Ages 6–7) – Looks at online gaming and chatting, helping children understand that they should keep personal details private, only chat with people they know in real life, and look out for in-game trickery.

How to use this resource at home:

1. Watch together: Take a few minutes to watch the short animations side-by-side with your child.

2. Read the Storybooks: On the website, you can download free companion storybooks for each episode to help keep the conversation going at bedtime or storytime.

3. Reinforce the trusted adult message: Use the videos to help your child identify a handful of trusted adults—both at home and at school—who they can talk to if they ever feel uncomfortable online.

4. Explore the interactive games: The site features an accompanying interactive area for 4–7 year olds where children can play games, answer questions, and earn "badges" for learning how to safely navigate videos, images, and gaming.

By introducing these habits early in a positive, blame-free environment, we can equip our children with the confidence and digital resilience they need as they grow.

To watch the videos and download your free parent resources, please visit: www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/jessie-and-friends-videos/