Screen time and staying safe online

Children meet screens, games and chat long before they can judge what they see. These organisations explain the risks in plain language, by age, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Worth knowing

1. Talk early and often. A calm, regular chat about what your child watches and who they talk to does more than any setting. Say they can always tell you if something upsets them, and that they will not be in trouble.
2. Use the controls, and keep them under review. Phones, consoles, apps and your broadband provider all have parental controls. They help, but they are not a substitute for talking, and children grow out of them.
3. Agree the rules together. Where devices live, when they go off and what is shared online. Rules a child helped to make are easier to keep.
4. Know where to report. Apps have report buttons, and there are routes for serious concerns. The links below show them.

Advice for parents

• Internet Matters (Not-for-profit organisation). Advice by age and step-by-step guides to setting up controls on devices, apps and games.
• NSPCC: online safety (Children's charity). How to talk to your child, and guides to the apps and sites they use.
• CEOP Education: parents and carers (National Crime Agency (CEOP)). Advice on protecting your child online, how to start difficult conversations and how to report online child sexual abuse.
• Childnet: parents and carers (Children's charity). A parents' toolkit, advice on gaming and online bullying, and short lessons for children aged 6 to 9.

Choosing what to watch and play

• Common Sense Media (US non-profit). Age ratings and reviews of films, shows, apps, games and books. It is American, so ratings may differ from UK ones.

For your child

• Childline (Run by the NSPCC). A free, private service for children and young people, by phone, chat or online.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

General information, not medical or legal advice. Links last checked 2026-10-24.