Online safety

Here at St Hilda’s High School we make every possible effort to ensure the safety of our students, including online and we endeavour to educate our students about the importance of keeping themselves safe online.As Parents can play a big role in this but technology evolves quickly, it can be hard to keep up – regular, open conversations make a big difference.There will be times when children need advice or support, especially when navigating the online world. They might come across harmful content or be contacted by someone they don’t know, which can be confusing or upsetting.As a parent or carer, it’s important to step in when you feel they need a nudge in the right direction. Whether it’s about what they’re sharing, who they’re speaking to, or how they’re feeling online, consistent conversations help build trust and confidence.

Safer Internet Day 2026

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Top tips for talking to children about staying safe online

Start with the positives
Being online can be a great way for children to learn, be creative, and stay connected with friends and family. Recognising these benefits helps keep conversations balanced and encourages confident, safe use of technology.
Find the right time and place
Choose a calm moment to talk, such as during a walk, car journey, or shared activity. Avoid starting the conversation when emotions are high or during a disagreement.
Use child-facing resources and advice
Support your conversation with age-appropriate tools, videos, or guides. These can help children understand key messages and make the discussion more engaging and relevant to their stage of development.
Ask about their experiences
Use open questions like:

‘Have you seen anything online that made you uncomfortable?’

‘Who do you chat with online?’

‘Are they people you know offline?’

‘How do you feel when using certain apps or games?’

Make it part of everyday life
These chats don’t need to be formal or one-off. Regular, relaxed conversations help children feel supported and more likely to speak up if something worries them.

Please see below links to all of our Online Safety Newsletters:

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Keep your child safe online

It is important to have regular conversations about staying safe online and to encourage children to speak to you if they come across something worrying online.

Talk to your child about the importance of creating a safe online environment, including keeping any log-in details and passwords safe.

These resources will support you to talk to your child about a range of online safety issues, set up home filtering in a child-friendly way and set up age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices:

Thinkuknow by the National Crime Agency – Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (NCA-CEOP) – resources for parents and carers and children of all ages to help keep children safe online

Childnet has developed guidance for parents and carers to begin a conversation about online safety, as well as guidance on keeping under-fives safe online

Parent Info is a collaboration between Parent Zone and NCA-CEOP - support and guidance for parents and carers related to the digital world from leading experts and organisations

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) - guidance for parents and carers to help keep children safe online

UK Safer Internet Centre - tips and advice for parents and carers to keep children safe online – you can also report any harmful content found online through the UK Safer Internet Centre

Inclusive Digital Safety Hub and Online Safety Hub, created by South West Grid for Learning in partnership with Internet Matters – support and tailored advice for young people with additional learning needs and their parents or carers

Parents’ Guide to Age Ratings explains how the British Board of Film Classification rates content, and gives parents advice on choosing online content well

The Children’s Commissioner has published advice for parents on talking to your child about online sexual harassment specifically, based on input from children themselves

Gov.uk guidance for parents and carers to keep their children safe online https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-keeping-children-safe-online/coronavirus-covid-19-support-for-parents-and-carers-to-keep-children-safe-online