Online and E-safety

As a parent/carer you may not always be able to control the community or peer group that your child/young person is part of. But there are important things you can do to reduce the chances of your child getting involved in cyberbullying or a victim of it.

Cyber-bullying can affect anyone and can have devastating effects for children in terms of feelings of self-worth, self-confidence and school performance.

What does 'keeping safe online' mean?

It is very important that as a parent/carer you know about keeping safe.

Be aware of:

• The devices you/your your children are using to go online with. Making sure all of the control settings are correctly set to keep your personal information private.
• The issues and risks that children and young people face like 'cyber-bullying', blackmail, grooming etc. and knowing what they need to do and what you need to do if a problem arises.
• A very useful online magazine specifically created for parents has been produced by Vodafone but with input from other experts too.

What young people in Salford have told us:

"Adults don't understand how online communities work" (A, 2022)

"Nothing is gone forever [online] and damage will stay with you" (Anon, 2022)

"I feel adults misunderstand that everyone online is a scammer, groomer or criminal"  (J, 2022)

How can I keep myself and my family safe online?

• Get informed about the devices you and your children use.
• Get the latest anti-virus/spam products.
• Use secure websites for any transactions (buying/selling/banking).
• Find the privacy and account settings, the parental controls and set these to the desired level of privacy and restriction - check them regularly.
• Make sure everyone understands about keeping personal information private.
• Don't open any mail or text if you do not know who it is from.
• Beware of scams and emails that ask you to give out your bank account information - these are sent to con you and steal your identity!
• Always know what to do if you or your child experiences a problem.
• Don't assume School is teaching your child everything they need to know about being safe online but do check out what they are doing.
• Have fun and do lots of stuff online together!

More information

There is a lot of good information that you can have a look at - and much of it is fun to do like quizzes and cartoons. If you have young children, look at:

• Think u know for fun things to do for 5-7 year olds
• Think u know for information for 8-10 year olds

For 11 years and older, although your children may seem to be very savvy about their use of the internet, do make sure they understand why it is important for them to keep their personal information private. As soon as they give away anything about themselves online it is effectively in the public domain! Be aware that the majority of social networking sites have a minimum age of 13 written in to their terms and conditions. More information about e-safety generally can be found on the Think u know website.

Specifically for parents/carers:

• Think u know for parents
• Childnet for parents

You can always ring ChildLine on 0800 1111 about any problem, at any time (day or night) for help and advice.

Please note that we can not be held responsible for the content of any of these external websites.