Stay Safe Online: Your Guide to Responsible Digital Adventures
While the digital age brings many positives, it also presents dangers that we work to address through education at school. In addition to our broader curriculum, our PSHE and computing programme covers online safety from Reception through to Year 6, with age-appropriate lessons on important topics such as safe online behaviour and responsible digital citizenship. We also mark key events, like Safer Internet Week every February, with dedicated assemblies to reinforce these essential lessons.
To support your child’s learning, we encourage open conversations at home about both the benefits and risks of being online. Staying informed about your child’s digital activities, including games, apps, and social media, is also invaluable. For practical guidance, the Internet Watch Foundation has created a helpful TALK checklist for parents—please see the links below to explore this resource.
T – TALK
L - LEARN ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S PLATFORMS AND APPS
K – KNOW HOW TO USE TOOLS, APPS AND SETTINGS
Useful links
Internet Matters have complied a list of the most popular social networking and messaging apps that children are using and the potential risks they may expose children to. This includes minimum age guidance and links to relevant safety pages. You can find out more here.
In summary, the minimum age guidance for the following apps is:
13+ - YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook (including Facebook Messenger), X (formally Twitter), Discord
16+ - WhatsApp
Parental Controls
Internet Matters have step by step parental control guides to help you set up the right control and privacy network settings. You can find out more here.
Cyber-bullying
The NSPCC have an excellent guide on how to report and respond to online bullying. You can find out more here.
CEOP Education
CEOP works to keep children safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. They have a wealth of advice for parents to help them talk to their children about their lives online. You can find out more here.
The Stay Safe Initiative
We are proud of Falkland’s continued partnership with Richard Pomfrett , founder of The Stay Safe Initiative. Richard has delivered an online safety workshop to parents and workshops to upper KS2 pupils. This partnership will continue this year with another workshop for parents and lower KS2 pupils. In the meantime, click on these links for more support.
E Safety (ID 1236)
Parenting in the Digital World - Resource pack
Parenting in the Digital World – Getting help Video
We fully appreciate that the online world is ever-changing and is not always easy to navigate. We are always here to support your child in school. Together, we can help you and your children navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.