HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE ON THE INTERNET?
WANT TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE ONLINE?
Use the great Jessie and Friends resources on the CEOP website to help you at home. Click the link above.
More information on the resources below…
How you can use Jessie & Friends to help keep your child safer online
Before you watch Jessie & Friends with your child, here are a few things you can do:
- Explore together: Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps and what they do on them. Listen and show interest and encourage them to teach you the basics of the site or app.
- Initiate (and continue) conversations about online safety: Ask them if anything ever bothers or worries them while they’re online. You could use examples of events from the animations and ask if they’ve experienced anything similar. Reinforce the key message: if anything happens online which makes them feel worried, scared or sad, the best thing to do is talk to you or another adult who they trust.
- Help your child identify adults who can help: Help your child identify trusted adults from different areas of their life such as at home or at school.
- Be non-judgemental: Explain that you would never blame them for anything that might happen online, and you will always give them calm and loving support.
- Supervise your child while they’re online: Keep the devices your child uses in communal areas of the house such as in the living room or kitchen where an appropriate adult is able to supervise. It is not safe for 4-7 year olds to access the internet unsupervised in private spaces, such as alone in a bedroom or bathroom.
- Talk to your child about how their online actions can affect others: If your child is engaging with others online remind them to consider how someone else might feel before they post or share something. If they are considering sharing a photo or video of somebody else, they should always ask permission first.
- SafeSearch: The use of ‘SafeSearch’ is highly recommended for use with young children. Most web search engines will have a ‘SafeSearch’ function, which will allow you to limit the content your child is exposed to whilst online. Look out for the ‘Settings’ button on your web browser homepage (often shaped like a small cog).
- Parental controls: Make use of the parental controls available on your home broadband and any internet-enabled device in your home. You can learn more by reading our article on using parental controls.
What next?
You can watch the three Jessie & Friends animations and download the storybooks here.
Help spread the word! If you are unsure if your child’s school uses Thinkuknow resources, download this letter making them aware of the free Jessie & Friends activities they can deliver in the classroom.
Visit the CEOP Education 4-7s website with your child. Featuring characters from Jessie & Friends, the 4-7s website helps children to recognise worrying or scary situations online through four interactive badges covering: watching videos, sharing pictures, online gaming and chatting online. Children collect stars and certificates by answering questions to help characters Jessie, Tia and Mo to ‘Tell A Grown Up’ when something appens online that is worrying, scary or upsetting.
A good logo for your children to look for is the CEOP logo:
Clicking on this logo on a website allows you and your children to report bad behaviour or suspicious behaviour of other users!