Keeping kids safe in the digital world

Now that summer is over and the kids have been back in school for a few weeks, they might have joined new classes, made new friends or started a new routine. For many families, this often means something else too: a kid getting, or asking for, their first smartphone. It opens up lots of exciting possibilities, but also new risks, and it’s increasingly clear they’re risks that we can’t ignore.

Our Sales and Marketing Director Danielle Holmes is a mother to a teenage girl, and that means she’s deeply passionate about online safety. Her daughter is very tech savvy and Danielle’s had to work hard to educate herself on what to do (and not do) to ensure her daughter is using her smartphone in a healthy way.

That’s why, for this month’s blog we’re making a bit of a departure from our usual content. We’re using it to share some tips for parents who are worried about their kids and teenagers being online. The aim is to help you feel more confident navigating this new world, because being proactive now could make all the difference.

What’s the picture when it comes to how children and teenagers use phones?

It helps to keep in mind what the data says, so we know where the dangers really lie. The Office for National Statistics released a report in 2023 called Bullying and online experiences among children in England and Wales – the most recent government data. Here’s what it found:

• Almost all children go online daily. Among 10- to 15-year-olds in England and Wales, 92.6% go online daily or nearly daily. Over half spend 3+ hours a school-day online.

• Risky interactions are not rare. Around 19.2% of children aged 10–15 have exchanged messages in the last year with someone they’ve never met offline.

• Bullying is increasingly online. Some 19.1% of 10- to 15-year-olds experienced online bullying in that year, and it’s thought that figure is higher now.

The NSPCC has since found that online grooming is rising. In 2023/24, there were 7,062 “Sexual Communication with a Child” offences recorded by police, up significantly (about 89%) since similar offences were first tracked in 2017-18. They noted that Snapchat is often involved in online grooming.

Danielle’s tips to help parents stay one step ahead

We don’t share those statistics to unsettle you – it’s more about showing what the reality of unmonitored access to the internet and social media can lead to. What we want to do is equip you to help your child or teenager be safer online. So, here are practical steps you can take to reduce risks as well as open up conversations and build trust. It’s not about policing everything they do online. Think of it like building a partnership with a focus on safety and preparing your child for our increasingly digital world.

1. Check phones together, regularly

Set aside time once a week (or however often makes sense in your household) to review what’s going on: apps, photos, messages where possible. Not to snoop, but to spot red flags. Ask questions like “can you tell me about this app?”, “who did you chat with, what are they like?”, “did anything worry you?”. Trust builds when kids know this is about curiosity, care and safety, not blame.

2. Teach ‘stranger danger’ online

It may seem obvious, but this one is vital, as those stats at the start of this blog tell us. Emphasise that someone they don’t know, even if they seem nice, can’t be trusted automatically online. They shouldn’t share personal info with people online, that includes full names, address, school, phone number and their social media handles. Explain what “personal data” is, and that photos can give away more than you think (backgrounds, location tags etc.).

3. Make use of built-in parental controls and other family tools

Microsoft Family is free and works across devices with a fairly simple setup. You can monitor screen time and app usage as well as filter content. For users of iPhones and iPads, Apple’s family controls mean you can control screen time, approve app downloads and set content restrictions. It’s built into all Apple tech! The equivalent for Android users is downloading Google Family Link which also offers many useful controls.

4. Consider third-party protection tools

For more robust supervision, paid for apps and tools like Net Nanny give you more control. You can use the Net Nanny parent portal to set schedules, block inappropriate content, receive alerts about risky online behavior and gain visibility into children’s online searches, app usage, and screen time through a real-time “family feed”. This one might be especially useful if built-in tools aren’t enough, or if you have older children, multiple devices, etc.

5. Watch out for VPNs and bypasses

Kids may be tempted to use VPNs (or proxies) to get around filters or restrictions. That can “undo” many of your safeguards, so make it clear they’re not acceptable, and check regularly. If you see a VPN installed, talk about why it worries you.

6. Know the risks of popular apps, games and social platforms

Some apps have minimal age or content restriction, or features that can make oversight hard. A few specifics to be aware of:

TikTok and Snapchat: often minimal filtering / language control. “Discover” or “for you” feeds may show inappropriate content.

Roblox: There are currently at least 18 active lawsuits pending in the US due to inappropriate content found on Roblox games. As a platform, the chat functions, private rooms and user-generated content on Roblox all increase the potential for exposure to content that could be harmful, so be aware. However, rumors about it being shut down in the US or anywhere else are not true!

Minecraft / Fortnite / similar games: depending on settings and who your child connects with, there can be exposure to bad language or worse. Use parental settings, turn off open chats or voice chat where possible.

7. Talk and build trust more than you block

This is probably the hardest but also the most effective. Encourage your child to tell you if something upsets them. Normalize mistakes (“I clicked something weird”, “A message made me uncomfortable”) so it isn’t shameful. If you respond with listening and calm, you increase the chance they’ll come to you early, not try to hide things.

A few things to avoid or be cautious about

Don’t assume age ratings or the “terms & conditions” protect your child automatically. Both self-reported and observed evidence suggests adolescents using social media are more likely to experience anxiety and mental health issues, let alone younger children. 

Avoid giving unrestricted internet access early, for instance leaving them with no filters or barriers online might mean they accidentally see stuff they’re not ready for. It’s way better to be cautious and clear about boundaries than to have to undo the damage caused by them seeing explicit or violent content.

Be wary of peer pressure: if “everyone else has Snapchat / a certain game / chats with strangers” this can push children to ask you for more freedom. That’s natural, but part of safety is stepping up gradually, with agreed rules that work for you both. Not what works for someone else’s family.

If this still feels like a minefield then Danielle is always ready to share ideas and chat about what’s worked. Other parents are a great source of information, as are experts in this field. It’s important to adapt as this digital world shifts. You don’t need to be a tech expert to help your child be online safely, just expect it, prepare a little and talk a lot.