The internet can is hugely fun and educational but can become a source of concern to parents when children and teenagers spend many hours online. Some children may run into problems with social media or online bullying, and others become addicted to gaming or may accidentally view distressing imagery. As parents it can be really hard to know where to find reliable information so we’ve selected a range of some of the best resources below.
Parenting in a digital world
- How to manage your child’s online world without clashing
- Building your family’s digital strategy
- THINKUKNOW: Parental controls, ‘how to stay safe online’, ‘worried who your child might be talking to online?’ and more. Resources for children in different age groups as well as parents and carers. Most children will be covering this extensively at school but these websites can reinforce those messages or help parents be up to date.
- Does my child need a mobile phone? Some ideas on what you might like to consider and discuss
- National Online Safety also has detailed information on games and social media e.g Snapchat, TikTok, FIFA, youtube, Instagram, grand theft auto and many more. The downloadable posters make it particularly good for use in schools. There are also tips on starting up a conversation with your child.
- Talking to your child about social media and gaming
- Gaming addiction: Worried your child is addicted to gaming?
- Advice on gaming addiction
- NSPCC Information on parental controls, online pornography and what risks may be associated with games like Minecraft or streaming. You can even book an appointment with someone in an O2 store to help you set up parental controls for free
- Safer Internet advice for children of all agessafety tools, parent guides to technology and lots more
- Papaya ParentsParents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents
- Better together run low-cost online workshops for families on online safety
Staying safe and having fun online and what to do if things go wrong
- Staying safe online
- ThinkUKnow– find the right information for your age and what to do if you run into trouble.
- How to stay sane on social media
- Feeling good and staying in control of social media and what to do if things go wrong
- Sexting and sending nudes
- What do I need to know about online grooming?
- How can I tell if I’m addicted to gaming? (Hampshire CAMHS)
- How gaming helped my mental health (Blog on YoungMinds)
Building confidence after online bullying