Have a family agreement about rules you are all comfortable with and agree to follow.

Make sure they know they can come to you or an identified trusted adult if they see something that upsets or worries them.

Do your research, many games console manufacturers and game developers have specific pages to help parents understand the risks and have controls they can use to protect their child(ren).

Explain the worries you might have about what they are doing or something you have read or heard about – most children will understand your concerns.

Make rules together about what they can and cannot do on devices and what webpages, games and media they can access.

Establish rules with them such as how long you child(ren) can use games consoles, PCs or other internet enabled devices.

Establish rules with them about what they can and cannot share online – talk to your child(ren) to think about what they are sharing and they are sharing information with.

Talk them about who they are talking to, do they know them in real life?.

Establish a positive relationship with them around their online life – talk to them regularly about what they are doing online and discuss their experiences.

The top tips for keeping your children safe online However, there are simple steps you can take to help protect your child while using technology. Banning children from using technology may feel an effective way of preventing the problem, but this can put them at a disadvantage from an educational point of view and potentially socially isolate your child(ren) from their friends.

Social engineering intended on exploiting children and young people or exposing them to radicalised informationĪs a parent you may feel that you are not technically minded and don’t fully understand the dangers or how you can protect your children.

Privacy problems and personal information stored on machines.

With the interconnectedness of video games systems, social media and other platforms today, children and young people may be exposed to numerous risks including:

Many parents may feel assured that their children are not at risk of harm because they are at home enjoying playing games, but this may not necessarily be the case. Playing video games is an activity which many children and adults enjoy, and can provide experiences that families can share.

Games consoles, smart devices and how to keep your children safe

Laws for child protection online games