Parental Controls | Keeping Your Child Safe Online

Parental controls

Innocent searches online can lead to not so innocent results! But parental controls can and should be used to help keep your child safe.

Parental controls are an important way to keep your child safe online.

Parental controls can be used to block upsetting or harmful content, control in-app purchases or manage how long your child spends online. And the good news is parental controls are really easy to set up.

Innocent searches sometimes reveal not so innocent results! So if you’re worried about what your child is searching for online, who they’re talking to or what they’re seeing, carry on reading.

It’s simple to get started. And, along with talking to your child regularly, using parental controls is one of the best ways to help keep children safe online. You’ll find lots more information below – or you can call 0808 800 5002 to chat to a NSPCC expert or an O2 advisor.

What are parental controls?

Parental controls are software and tools which you can install on phones or tablets, games consoles or laptops – and even your home broadband.

You can also use them to help to block or filter the content your child sees when searching online. And family-friendly public WiFi can help when you’re out and about.

Parental controls are also available to help you to:

plan what time of day your child can go online and how long for
stop them from downloading apps they’re too young for
manage the content different members of the family can see

So whatever your child is doing online, there’s a way that you can help keep them safe.

When it comes to keeping your child safe online, parental controls can be incredibly helpful and effective. Giving you the confidence to know that your child can experience the internet safely.

How to set up parental controls on:

(1) Mobiles and tablets

Lots of mobiles and tablets come with settings that can help you manage what your child can and can’t see or do online.

When using parental controls, make sure to check things like location settings and what information your child is sharing with others.

You can get more information about setting up controls on different devices from the UK Safer Internet Centre and mobile providers such as O2, Vodafone, Three, and EE.

And don’t forget to talk to your child about what they’re doing online and how to be Share Aware.

(2) Home broadband

Your internet provider may offer a free filter so you can control the content that you and your family see. You’ll need to manually set-up any device connected to your home broadband.

How you do this depends on your provider and you’ll need to access your home router or hub. It’s really easy and simple to do. You can get guidance from UK Safer Internet Centre and Internetmatters.org on how to do this or you can call 0808 800 5002.

Don’t forget if your child uses their device away from home, then they’ll be able to connect to public WiFi which might not have the same settings.

If your child accesses the internet at home through 3G or 4G rather than using WiFi then they won’t be subject to the parental controls.

(3) Search engines

Sometimes innocent searches lead to not so innocent results. Make sure the content that your child sees online is appropriate for their age by using the controls available in search engines like Google and Bing.

Setting up filters like Google SafeSearch helps to protect your child from seeing inappropriate adult content. Or you could use a child-friendly search engine like Swiggle and Safe Search UK.

Don’t forget you can speak to O2 & NSPCC’s helpline on 0808 800 5002. They’re available to answer any question you have about staying safe online and setting up parental controls.

WiFi and being away from home

The controls you’ve set up on your child’s device and your home broadband won’t apply if they use 3G or 4G, public WiFi or log on to a friend’s connection instead.

Public WiFi is often available when you’re out and about. But it’s not always secure and can allow children to search the internet free from controls.

Some venues and businesses offer family-friendly WiFi. When you see the family-friendly WiFi symbol it means that when you connect to the WiFi there are filters in place to stop children from seeing adult content.

Talk to your child and agree with them what they can and can’t do online. And if they’re visiting friends or family remember that they might not have the same controls set up.

If you’d like more advice call – 0808 800 5002.

Apps and privacy

It can be hard to keep track of all the apps and social networks that are available and what they do. Some apps let young people send messages to each other or store personal information.

Others are for playing games or having fun. Whatever they do, remember you can talk to your child about their privacy settings.

And if you’re not sure what privacy settings are or how to set them, then you can phone the helpline on 0808 800 5002.

Net Aware is a parent’s guide to the apps and networks that children are using and has more details about controls and privacy settings.

Sexting

How to talk to children about the risks of sexting – and what you can do to protect them.

It may feel awkward, but it’s important to explain to children the risks of sexting, how to stay safe and remind them that they can talk to you if something ever makes them feel scared or uncomfortable.

What is sexting?

Sexting is when someone shares sexual, naked or semi-naked images or videos of themselves or others, or sends sexually explicit messages.

They can be sent using mobiles, tablets, smartphones, laptops – any device that allows you to share media and messages.

Sexting may also be called:

trading nudes
dirties
pic for pic.

What the law says

Sexting can be seen as harmless, but creating or sharing explicit images of a child is illegal, even if the person doing it is a child. A young person is breaking the law if they:

take an explicit photo or video of themselves or a friend
share an explicit image or video of a child, even if it’s shared between children of the same age
possess, download or store an explicit image or video of a child, even if the child gave their permission for it to be created.

However, as of January 2016 in England and Wales, if a young person is found creating or sharing images, the police can choose to record that a crime has been committed but that taking formal action isn’t in the public interest.

Crimes recorded this way are unlikely to appear on future records or checks, unless the young person has been involved in other similar activities which may indicate that they’re a risk. Find out more about legislation on child abuse images.

Why do young people sext?

There are many reasons why a young person may want to send a naked or semi-naked picture, video or message to someone else.

joining in because they think that ‘everyone is doing it’
boosting their self-esteem
flirting with others and testing their sexual identity
exploring their sexual feelings
to get attention and connect with new people on social media
they may find it difficult to say no if somebody asks them for an explicit image, especially if the person asking is persistent

No control over images or how they are shared

It’s easy to send a photo or message but the sender has no control over how it’s passed on.
When images are stored or shared online they become public. Some people may think that images and videos only last a few seconds on social media and then they’re deleted, but they can still be saved or copied by others. This means that photos or videos which a young person may have shared privately could still end up being shared between adults they don’t know.

Blackmail, bullying, and harm

Young people may think ‘sexting’ is harmless but it can leave them vulnerable to:

Blackmail
An offender may threaten to share the pictures with the child’s family and friends unless the child sends money or more images.
Bullying
If images are shared with their peers or in school, the child may be bullied.
Unwanted attention
Images posted online can attract the attention of sex offenders, who know how to search for, collect and modify images.
Emotional distress
Children can feel embarrassed and humiliated. If they’re very distressed this could lead to suicide or self-harm.

Every child is different, so your approach should be based on their character and your relationship with them. You could:

Find a way to start the conversation

outline your expectations and explain the rules of having a mobile, tablet or smartphone
ask them what they feel is acceptable to send to people if they’d be happy for you or a stranger or other children to see certain photos. If the answer is ‘no’, explain that the image, video or message is probably not appropriate to send
make sure they’re comfortable saying no, that they know their body is private and being asked to share explicit images is inappropriate
explain to them about the importance of trust and consent in a healthy relationship. Tell them that it’s not ok for someone to make them feel uncomfortable, to pressure them into doing things that they don’t want to do, or to show them things that they’re unhappy about. Let them know that they can speak to you if this ever happens
look at Childline’s advice about relationships and online safety together.

Explain the risks of sexting

tell them what can happen when things go wrong. Don’t accuse them of sexting, but do explain the dangers and legal issues
you may find it easier to use real-life examples, such as television programmes or news stories, to help you explain the risks
ask them if they’d want something private shown to the world. Talk about the Granny rule – would you want your Granny to see the image you’re sharing?
talk about whether a person who asks for an image from you might also be asking other people for images
if children are sending images to people they trust, they may not think there’s much risk involved. Use examples of when friends or partners have had a falling-out and what might happen to the images if this happens.

Make it clear you will be supportive and understanding

make sure they know that you’re always there for support if they feel pressured by anyone
explain that they can come to you if someone asks to send them a nude picture or if they receive an explicit message
let them know that you won’t be angry with them but just want to make sure they’re safe and happy.

Play your part to protect children
Whether it’s making a phone call to report a concern, taking a safeguarding course, volunteering for Childline or taking part in an NSPCC event, we can all play a part in the fight for every childhood.