Safer Internet Day

05 Feb Safer Internet Day

Over the years, Safer Internet Day (SID) has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar.

From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns.

The internet is a fantastic place for children to learn, create and have fun, but they may occasionally have to deal with a variety of sometimes challenging issues but there are positive things you can do to equip yourself and your child, support them in resolving any issue they may face.

These might include cyberbullying, reading unkind comments and pressure to share inappropriate photo. While your child is in primary school it is very healthy to start preparing them for conversations about more concerning issues that will be covered by the secondary curriculum. Our current year 6 pupils are taking part in a 5 week project called Diverse Voices Stay Safe which address safety issues in transition to secondary school.

These links and guides will help you to keep your young ones safe while using the online world.

For information on Cyberbullying please follow this link.

Watch this video that explains why Cyberbullying is so important to tackle.

Watch this video to learn about dealing with inappropriate content.

Watch this video to learn about protecting your child’s identity online.

Use this parent toolkit to help protect their identity. 

Many of the sites children like to use ask them to reveal information about themselves, from pictures of them and their friends, their names and where they live, to their favourite music, films and games.

It’s great for them to build relationships and share their interests but it’s also important to talk to your children so they understand what could happen if they share too much online.

Teach them about privacy

• Make sure your child is aware of the information they shouldn’t reveal online. This includes their real name, address, phone number, school and town in which they live. See

Be careful who they share with

• Children and especially teenagers who use sites such as Facebook and Whatsapp can have hundreds and even thousands of online friends. The more friends they have, the less likely they are to know them all well, which means they could have less control over the content they share. Encourage your child to think about which friends they share information with.

Stay anonymous

• In chatrooms children may find themselves talking to other people they don’t know. In this case they should never reveal their personal details. The more information they reveal, the easier it can be for someone to build up an identity for them.

Clean up apps on devices

• Together with your child review the apps and website they use and encourage them to delete or remove any that they no longer use. This will stop apps holding on to their data and limit incidents of catfishing or ID theft if an account is not checked on a regular basis.

Take time to read the T&Cs

• If your child is opening a new account or signing up for something online, although it can be drawn out, take some time to read the T&Cs. This will give you an idea of how your child’s data will be used and who it may be passed on to.

Review privacy settings on social networks

• Encourage them to review the privacy settings on the social networks they use and periodically review their friends list to make sure they are sharing their digital lives with people they know and trust. It’s also a good idea to talk about what is safe to share with people they’ve only met online. Sharing information with someone they’ve only met online can be risky so it’s best to advise them to try and key personal information private. Use these ’12 quick online privacy tips for parents.

Highlight what a positive digital footprint looks like

• Use this online reputation advice hub as it has a range of ways to can help children create a positive digital footprint that will serve them as they grow.

Please look at our Online Safety Page for more tips and Advice.