The impact of COVID-19 has seen people spending more time online than usual, so it’s more important than ever to understand the dangers that individuals, especially young or vulnerable people, can face online and how they can stay safe.

On Safer Internet Day we’ve composed our top tips on how to keep young people safe online and to help tackle the rise of abuse and trolling on social media.

For parents with kids aged 5-11

How to keep your children safe online.

1. Create boundaries around use of technology
2. Check and adhere to age limits for apps & games
3. Explore your children’s apps and games together
4. Turn on SafeSearch
5. Activate parental controls
6. Set-up passwords to restrict in-game/in-app purchases

For young people aged 11-18 

Stay safe when you’re online.

1. Keep your devices secure – activate privacy settings and use complex passwords
2. Don’t share personal or financial information 
3. Think twice before posting – once you post something you lose control: anyone, anywhere may be able see or store it. Check your privacy settings on social media platforms.
4. Be wary of scams – people try to trick you into giving information like passwords and bank details.  Don’t click strange links from emails or messages
5. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication on all apps that you can – this prevents hackers from accessing any sensitive information
6. People are not always who they say they are – be wary. If you’re unsure, ask an adult for their view.
7. Check the source – some people post fake things online. Ask yourself how reliable is this information? Do more digging before acting / sharing.
8. Don’t take, share or allow others to take explicit images of you 
9. Cover your webcam when not using – some viruses let people access your webcam without you knowing

Dealing with abuse and trolling

If there are people abusing or trolling you or others online, there are several ways in which you can deal with it. 

Mute users

By muting people you will still be following them and they can see your posts but nothing that they post or share will appear on your timeline.

Block

You may want to block someone when they are abusing or trolling you or others. By blocking someone they will not be able to see what you post anymore and won’t be able message you and you will not be able to see any of their posts.

Report

You can report someone if they are being abusive or harmful towards you or others. You can report threats, abusive behaviour, targeted hate and harassment to social media companies. You can also report it to the police.

Time-out

Consider deleting the apps or deactivating your account – even if only temporarily.

If someone is abusing you or others online, tell an adult you trust so they can help deal with it further. Or, call Childline to talk about it with a professional: 0800 1111

For information on how to stay safe on different social media sites, click HERE.

To find out more about keeping young people safe online, click HERE