For children starting back at primary school this year, there are new opportunities and new challenges.
Help them get the most out of the technology around them by building good online safety habits now.
Make sure they're age-appropriate make sure that they're safe online and also ensure that when they are using this technology, that it's time limited. Young children begin to to want to bond with their little peer group and part of that bonding means looking at what they're playing with and copying that.
When your child comes home and says 'my friends at school are talking about this game', I think the sooner you can start getting them to think about why they want to engage in certain behaviors online as opposed to feeling that they have to because everyone else's is probably a good idea.
Children at this age very much look to their surroundings, and they model their behaviour against them so if you're constantly on your phone but telling your child not to be on theirs, it's sending a mixed message. Set a good example. The more you can set up a healthy precedent for how you deal with your technology, the better it is for your child. And in those cases where you need to use your tech, explaining what you're using it for is useful as well.
My top three tips for this age group would be: number one, monitor how much time the kids spend online. Don't forget that you need to at this age be kind of helping them sort of curate what they spend their time doing. And while the online world is gonna be a part of it, you need to ensure that it's not the biggest part of it by any means.
Secondly, make sure that for kids at this age, we use appropriate controls. And that means, make sure you've put appropriate controls on the games that they use.
Finally and really importantly, make sure that your child has a wide variety when it comes to what they're consuming in terms of play and entertainment. Make sure that that isn't just about staring at a screen. There's a lot of great stuff out there that gets them to move, to think and to learn.
At primary school, children start exploring more complicated video games. They also watch plenty of content on YouTube in different forms.
Explore the guide below to stay informed about online safety at primary school.
The following platforms are most popular among primary school-aged children. Expand the boxes to learn more about setting them up for safety.
YouTube is the most popular platform among children of all ages. At primary school, they might be transitioning from YouTube Kids to the standard YouTube platform.
YouTube Kids is a great choice for younger children under 13-years-old. It provides an environment that’s child-friendly, limiting the types of ads and videos available on ‘normal’ YouTube. However, if your child is growing in their independence, they might want greater choice that YouTube Kids can offer.
See how to set up YouTube Kids here, or expand the box below for top tips for YouTube safety.
This works best if you have a Google Family Link account, which can work across apps. See how to set Family Link up here.
See the full instructions for a Supervised Account here.
This will help filter out mature content and can support other safety features. See the full instructions here.
You can also turn off notifications to limit distractions. Set up Google Family Link for more control over app use and screen time.
Children in primary school love Roblox. They can communicate with friends from school, explore and create worlds, play games and even learn graphic design or coding by making items for players to use.
Because so many primary school children use Roblox, the platform has robust parental controls to keep them safe. Explore top tips for Roblox safety below.
Setting parental controls without a PIN means children can easily alter the settings. So, set a PIN to prevent this.
See the full instructions here.
Allowed Experiences is an easy way to set age ratings for your child. This helps you make sure they only see content appropriate for them.
If your child is younger than 9, set this too ‘All Ages’, or set up Account Restrictions instead.
If you turn on Account Restrictions, your child will not be able to communicate with others. However, for older children, you might want to let them communicate with friends from their offline life – whether that’s school or activities outside of school.
Remember that video games like Roblox are a way for children to ‘hang out’ with friends. Make sure these settings reflect their needs and their age.
Streaming services are popular among children and adults alike. This means that these platforms include content appropriate for children and adults too. So, remember to set up streaming services for safety.
Most streaming services let you create multiple profiles. This is an easy way to manage the content your child sees. Create a child’s profile to set age limits and content restrictions.
See how to create a kid’s profile on Disney+.
Setting a PIN means your child can’t go in and change their safety settings without permission. This should be a number that only you will know and that your child can’t guess.
If your child tries to change settings or access content inappropriate for their age, the platform will ask for your PIN. This means your child will need to ask you for access.
See how to set a PIN on Netflix.
You can limit passive screen time by turning off autoplay and suggested content. With these features turned on, children might accidentally watch one episode after another without interruption.
Create your family's digital toolkit to get guidance and advice based on your child's favourite platforms, the challenges they face online, the devices they use and more.
My Family’s Digital ToolkitLearn from others and their experience of digital at primary school.
At primary school, children discover a new world of digital opportunities. They benefit from many things online, but there are some key risks to know about.
Choose one of the key issues below to explore so you can keep your child safe online.
As children create friendship groups and explore new digital spaces, cyberbullying is a real risk. Help children navigate this risk and spread positivity instead of hate.
Talk about cyberbullyingAt this age, children don’t always understand the difference between private and public information. Help them learn about privacy, passwords and more to stay safe.
EXPLORE CYBER SECURITYFrom online pornography to extremism to violent videos, there is huge risk for children at primary school to come across inappropriate content. See how you can limit this harm.
LEARN ABOUT ITResearch shows that children often feel like they spend too much time online. They just might not have the tools yet to manage this. But you can help support their wellbeing.
GET SCREEN TIME TIPSSupport your child as they head back to primary school with more helpful online safety resources and guides below.
If you have children at other stages of their digital life, learn about their needs with the guides below.
