New Guide to help parents support children in the Digital World

It can be hard to keep up with the fast-changing digital world your child moves through every day. From social media and gaming to online learning and messaging, the online space is constantly evolving — and knowing how to support your child with confidence isn’t always easy.

To help, the Children’s Commissioner for England, working alongside children and young people, has created a new practical guide designed to make conversations about online life easier and more positive for families.

The guide includes a dedicated activity pack for children and young people, giving families the opportunity to explore digital habits together. It supports parents and carers to:

• Open up meaningful conversations about managing online time

• Create a shared digital agreement that works for the whole family

• Build a trusted support network for when things feel difficult

• Explore ideas for fun and engaging activities away from screens

Rather than focusing on rules alone, the guide encourages understanding, balance and teamwork — helping children feel heard while giving adults the tools they need to offer guidance and support.

If you’re short on time, don’t worry. We’ll be sharing highlights from the guide each week on our social media channels, so you can dip in and out and take things at your own pace.

 [Download the Children’s Commissioner’s Digital Guide here]

This resource is a great starting point for any family wanting to feel more confident navigating the online world together.

With Christmas just around the corner, the holiday period is a great time to take stock of the devices they have (plus any new Christmas devices) and ensure they are set up correctly with any parental features you feel are appropriate for your child.

One frustrating issue is that the available features and how you set devices up differ, so to help parents Internet Matters have really good, non-techie guides which you can follow as part of their ABC Checklist. ABC stands for: 

• A - Activate parental controls.
• B - Balance screen time.
• C - Check and chat.
You can find a full explanation, set up guides and excellent advice  - https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/abc-online-safety-checklist/ 

For Parents – Beware of Online Shopping Scams

With Christmas and seasonal sales approaching, online fraud is on the rise. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in the UK fall victim to purchase scams.

 Top Tips to Stay Safe:

• Check legitimacy: If you see an ad on social media, open the link in an external browser and look for company details. No address, no phone number, and only a web form? That’s a red flag.
• Look for reviews: Genuine sites usually have mixed reviews. Perfect reviews or none at all can indicate a scam.
• Use trusted resources: https://www.getsafeonline.org

 If something feels off, don’t buy. It’s better to miss a bargain than lose your money.

Hayley Yates

Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead