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Internet and E-Safety for Children & Young People

Protecting children and young people online is very important.  For many parents the internet and e-safety is very new and they don't always feel confident about keeping their children safe. Just to give an example, it is estimated that 90% of children have accidently viewed online pornography.

Channel 4 have produced a very practical 8 Point Plan to help parents keep their children safe:

1. Prepare your child for accidental exposure to pornography. Explain that adults view pornography as some form of 'fantasy' rather than reality and that, in truth, pornography does not reflect real life, real bodies or real sex - it distorts them. Encourage your child not to hesitate about coming to you about anything they see online which upsets or disturbs them.
2. Make a real effort to get computer literate if you want to support and understand your children, you need to have a reasonable understanding of their world.
3. Demand information from retailers on adult-content filters whenever you buy a new computer for family use.
4. Ask your internet service provider (i.e. BT, Virgin, Tiscali etc.) how to switch on the adult-content filters that they already provide
5. Apply safe-search filtering to search engines (i.e. Google, AOL, Yahoo etc.) that your family regularly use
6. Set up different user accounts on home PC's/laptops for every member of the family and activate parental controls on the children's accounts
7. Shop around for software that provides extra adult-content filtering.
8. Keep an eye on your children's browsing history - not to censor or spy on them, but to keep them safe online. It is good to keep the computer in shared areas rather than behind closed doors in a bedroom - that way you can keep an eye on what your child is using the internet for.

Additional useful links are detailed below

ParentsCentre - for guidance on filters as well as areas of internet useage and safety

Kidsmart - a site aimed at both adults and chidlren covering a range of online safety issues.

Family Online Safety Institute - for information on protecting young people on the internet including resources and advice for parents

Thinkuknow - includes a place which young people can use to report experiences where they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online

The internet & children - what's the problem? - for information about preventing sexual abuse and exploitation online Has useful tips for parents.

Please click here to connect to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection CEOP website

Contact the Barnsley Safeguarding Children Board :safeguardingchildrenboard@barnsley.gov.uk

This page was last updated on the 3rd of April 2009 and is scheduled for review on or before the 3rd of April 2010