Keeping Children Safe Online
Encourage children to get the best out of their gameplay and reduce potential risks. Using
advice and strategies can have a positive impact on their wellbeing.
During the past months, pupils and parents at Larkspur Primary have mentioned some difficulties
with online gaming and the impacts this can have on a child’s behaviour and mental
wellbeing. Please find below some useful links and websites to help support parents/carers.
internetmatters.org is a really, useful website that covers a lot of online safety issues and also has
a helpful section about online gaming. With additional guidance for supporting children with special
educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
These top tips have been written for parents to help keep children safe and happy online.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2024/parents-and-carers
This is a link to some key questions you may have as a parent around keeping children safe
online.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2024/top-tips-for-parents-and
carers
Our Family Support Workers are looking to provide further support around this in the coming
months.
Talk – be open and honest about their online gaming and make sure they are aware of the risks
involved.
Teach them about the dangers of revealing private information like email addresses, home
address or financial details.
Explain-that not everyone online has honourable intentions and people do lie, so they need to be
cautious.
Report-Much like with other bullying, teach them to not respond to bullies online but to report it
straight away.
Educate-yourself on how to report bullies through online gaming so that you can then teach the
children.
For parents, monitor the amount of time they spend online and give them a set limit.
Always check certificates – it’s 18 for a reason! Are you confident that you know what content is in
a particular game? If you aren’t sure whether you would want your children to play it, research the
game first yourself to find out what is involved before making a decision. Never give your child
access to your payment details.
Playing online games doesn’t need to be scary when you are aware of what you can do. As with
anything, there will always be risks but if you teach children to be safe online the risks can be
minimised.
