The summer holidays are here – and it’s important that parents and carers to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and tools to ensure their child’s online safety.
Without school to go to every day, young people may feel more temptation to use devices or sit in front of screens for longer.
In this blog, we will provide practical tips and resources to help you support your child in navigating the online world during the summer break.
Moving on up to secondary school
Is your child just one summer holiday away from moving on up to Year 7?
A lot of work goes into helping young people make a smooth transition from primary to secondary education. We have created these videos and accompanying resources to help with the online aspects of this move.
There are plenty of videos to get your child thinking about online issues that can arise at secondary school, and the summer holidays are the perfect chance to support your child with these.
From feeling pressure to fit in, to dealing with friend requests – and even online bullying – there are plenty of relevant and interesting videos to watch together.
How to support your child to have a healthy, balanced screen time
To kickstart the summer, why not watch the UK Safer Internet Centre’s screen time video as a family?
Screen time refers to the amount of time spent on devices such as phones, tablets, or laptops. It’s natural to have concerns about excessive screen time and its impact on health and wellbeing.
The video above explores the topic and features young people giving their thoughts on the matter.
It would be a great starting point for discussions about balancing screen time with other activities during the holidays!
Learn about parental controls as a family
Parental controls can be a way to help protect your child from inappropriate online content.
They are specifically designed to safeguard children from age-inappropriate material, such as pornography or adult content. They can be used to restrict the content seen, set usage times, monitor activity, prevent in-app purchases and much more.
Be sure to watch this video as a family and hear what young people have to say about parental controls. To learn more about how to implement and make the most of parental controls, head to our guidance page.
Childnet Film Competition Finalists’ Films
We can’t believe it’s been 1 week since young people took to the stage at the final of the Childnet Film Competition!
Children and young people from schools across the country submitted short films to raise awareness of online safety.
These films are not only fun to watch but also serve an educational purpose. We encourage families to view them together at home.
What better way to start the summer holidays than by exploring the various ways young people of your child’s age recommend staying safe online?
These films provide valuable insights and perspectives that can spark important conversations about online safety.
From recognising signs of struggle in friends and providing support, to addressing problems caused by keeping concerns to oneself, to offering tips around handling unwanted online contact – there is so much to learn in these incredible and creative short films.
For primary age films, head here, and for secondary age films, head here!
Learning about online safety with younger children
For younger children aged 3 and up, we recommend reading “Hanni and the Magic Window”, a story that encourages speaking out and seeking help.
Published this year, this engaging tale follows Hanni as she embarks on a journey to find her voice and ask for assistance.
The story is available as an e-book or can be downloaded in English and Welsh, providing an opportunity for enjoyable and educational reading, and great as a bedtime story!
Connect with Childnet
We hope that you are now more prepared in creating a safe and positive online environment for your child.
Let’s make the most of this summer by fostering meaningful discussions and empowering our children to navigate the online world responsibly.
We love hearing from families engaging in our activities and videos – follow and engage with our content on Twitter to find out more online safety activities for your family to learn about and enjoy over the summer holiday!
