Protect Children Online

Web safety group Internet Matters urges parents to take action to keep their children safe online.

18:18 15 February 2017

The number of parents saying that they supervise their children aged six and below when they are online has gone down from 53per cent to 43per cent in the last three years. Experts find this worrying as 44per cent of children aged six are using the Internet alone in their bedrooms and 41per cent of them are using it at home without supervision.

 

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, author of Unfollow: Living Life On Your Own Terms, says: “This research shows just how quickly young children are advancing in the digital world.

 

"It also serves as a stark reminder why parents need to be extra vigilant and arm their children with the tools to stay safe online.

 

“As well as setting up the relevant parental controls, it’s important to make sure you set boundaries when it comes to how your children use the internet at home.”

 

Meanwhile, EastEnders actor Danny-Boy Hatchard, who works with Safer Internet Day, thinks that internet safety should be taught in schools. He said:  “Social media safety should be on the national curriculum.

 

Children need to be taught about these tools to educate them and make sure they’re in a safe environment when they’re online. Parents need to monitor their kids’ use closely.”