Every child deserves to feel safe and supported online and we want to help you make this happen for any children you care for.
It’s understandable if keeping up with the ever-changing world of apps, AI, games, and social media feels overwhelming. You’re not alone. We’ve asked experts from the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse to share guidance to help you navigate the challenges.
Today, nearly every child, around 99%, spends time online, and by age 11, nine out of ten children have their own mobile phone (Ofcom, 2024). Children aged 8 to 14 are spending just under three hours a day online across devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers (Ofcom, 2025).
The online world can be a great space for making friends, learning new things, playing games, and having fun with peers. But we also know it comes with challenges and risks that can feel worrying.
As a parent or carer, it’s completely normal to find it tough to keep up or to start conversations about online safety. Whether your child is gaming, chatting, posting, or streaming, we’re here to support you with practical advice and expert-led guidance to help keep them safe and happy online.
Five tips to keep your child safe online
1. Take an active interest in your child’s digital world
Taking a genuine interest in your child’s online world, just like you do with other parts of their life, helps build trust and connection. When you show curiosity about the apps they use, the games they play, or the platforms they enjoy, it opens the door to meaningful, everyday conversations.
By making these chats part of your regular routine not just something that happens when there’s a problem, you can help your child feel comfortable and supported. It shows them that talking about online life is normal, and that they can come to you with anything, especially if something ever worries or confuses them.
If your kids are gaming, chatting, posting, or streaming online, it’s worth getting involved in their online lives. Showing interest in your child’s digital world, asking about the games or the apps they’re into, and even joining in now and then if it feels right, can be a great way to connect. It can also give you a better sense of what they’re engaging with and whether it feels suitable for them.
2. Talk about what healthy vs. unhealthy online behaviour looks like
Risks don’t only come from strangers. Family members and other adults in your child’s life, friends, peer groups can sometimes cause harm. Help your child understand what behaviours are safe, respectful, and healthy, versus what’s not.
Dependent on age, this might include discussions around:
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Sexting or sending nude or semi-nude pictures.
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Trolling (harassment and bullying).
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Sharing personal information.
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Adding unknown people to chat groups, games or friend lists.
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Accessing pornography and the impact this can have on skewing ideas of healthy relationships.
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Spotting grooming techniques, including being asked or asking others to enter private or unregulated digital spaces.
3. Encourage the use of development and age-appropriate platforms, sites and settings.
Younger children may be tempted to explore apps meant for older teens. Review the safety features, age ratings, parental controls, and privacy options on each platform. Talk with your child about why these rules exist and how they protect them. This will help them, and you, identify safer and more appropriate online spaces.
Remember that just because an app, game or piece of technology has an age rating that technically means it could be appropriate for your child, doesn't always mean it's right for them. It's important to consider their individual maturity and emotional development, not just the number on the label.
4. Supervise children carefully and encourage digital device use in shared spaces
If younger children are using devices they should have the support of an adult who can supervise them. As well as considering age, it’s important to take their stage of development into account when deciding how much supervision they need.
Being in the same room as your child when they are online not only helps you know what they are accessing, but it means you can better see what your child is doing, pick up on non‑verbal cues about how they feel, and respond more quickly if something online upsets them.
As children grow older, they often start using technology more independently, inside and outside, the home. Having open conversations with your child about digital safety both at home and beyond across different situations helps them develop into confident and responsible digital citizens.
5. Discuss information sharing and privacy and check settings regularly
Help your child understand what to share and who with. Use examples such as screenshots, group chats, public posts to show how something private can become very public very quickly. Make sure privacy settings are enabled and check them regularly since apps sometimes revert or change them after updates.
How to talk to children about keeping safe online
One of the most important things you can do is start talking to your child about staying safe online. Here are ways to foster trust and make conversations easier.
Create a safe space
Often children can’t explain how they’re feeling or don’t have the words to describe it. Let your child know that they may come across things on the internet that leave them with a funny feeling. It might make them feel weird, confused, bad, embarrassed, or guilty. You could share examples, in an age-appropriate way, of things you’ve seen online that made you feel this way.
Whatever they’re feeling, remind them that they can always talk to you about it.
Encourage them to share, even if they think they’ve done something “wrong.” Whatever they’re feeling, remind them that they can always talk to you about it. Let them know that even if they were doing something they shouldn’t, that they can tell you and you won’t be cross.
Check in regularly: ask what they’ve been doing online, what they enjoy, or anything that’s made them uncomfortable. This gives your child a gentle invitation to disclose anything now, or at a later point.
Don't forget the positives of the internet
Most of us use the internet throughout our everyday lives for connection, to learn and for fun, so it’s important to be honest with your children and avoid painting it as a scary place to be avoided. When you ask about what they do online remain open-minded and be genuinely curious. Showing interest in their world builds trust, gives you insight into their digital habits and what they might need support with in the future.
The chances are that your child will use the internet differently from you. So, try not to be dismissive of any apps, games, or trends they love. It may make your child embarrassed to talk about their digital life in the future or they may feel reluctant to reach out for help if they're worried about something they've seen or experienced.
Don't blame or shame
If your child says they’ve seen content they shouldn’t, try to remain calm and curious. Ask open questions, such as “What did you see?” “How did it make you feel?” Avoid blaming or criticising them as this may shut the conversation down.
Your default response may be to stop them using the site, app or device it happened on, but this isn’t always the best course of action. If, for example, you take away their phone, or stop them using a particular app to keep them safe, they may see it as a punishment and avoid telling you if something similar happens again in the future. Instead, focus on understanding and working with them to decide how the situation can be avoided in future. For example, you could ask them if they need help to block or report, problem solving together will help build trust.
If the content they have seen is distressing to them, help your child to understand their feelings and rebalance any negative messages this may have left them with. Encourage them to talk openly about what upset them, validate their emotions, and reassure them that it’s okay to feel upset. Provide age-appropriate explanations to clarify any misunderstandings, and help them develop positive coping strategies such as taking breaks from screens, engaging in calming activities, or focusing on positive content.
Need more support with keeping your child safe online?
If you think a child is being harmed or in immediate danger of being harmed, call the police on 999. If you think a crime has been committed and you want to report it, you can call them on 101.
If you’re worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with your child online, you can report it to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) command, part of the National Crime Agency.
If sexual images and videos of your child have ended up online, and they are under 18, Report Remove, which is run by Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) can help get them taken down and also support you.
We’ve got resources on bullying and cyberbullying, spotting the signs and supporting your child that may help you.
Not-for-profit organisation Internet Matters has advice and resources on how to keep children safe online.
The charity NSPCC also has information and resources to help you understand online safety and talk about it with children and young people.
Think your child is feeling anxious?
It’s hard watching your child struggle. If you’re wondering how best to help them, we’ve got advice on what anxiety in children and young people can look like, how to support them, and where and when to turn for professional help.
Self-harm: what parents and carers need to know
If your child is self-harming, or you’re worried they might be, it’s completely natural to feel frightened, upset, or unsure about what to do. We’ve got advice on warning signs you should look out for, how you can support someone, and where to find professional help.
Child sexual abuse and exploitation
Every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and protected. We support thousands of children and young people who have experienced child sexual abuse and exploitation. Read about what child sexual exploitation and abuse are, signs to watch for, how to report concerns, and how we support children who have experienced it.
All of the information on this page was created with practising health professionals. This page was reviewed in December 2025. We will next review the page in 2028.