Online Safety - Questfield International College

In today’s digital age, where the internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, it serves as an invaluable resource for learning, creativity, and connection. The value of vast amounts of information and opportunities it offers cannot be overstated. However it also presents various risks and challenges. As parents and educators, it’s crucial to understand these potential dangers and work collaboratively to ensure the online safety of children.

On this page you can find information about the dangers associated with Internet use by children and about the ways we can work together to keep them safe.

The Risks

Risk	Description
Cyberbullying	Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
Grooming	Grooming is the process of building a relationship with a child in order to exploit them. Groomers may use online platforms to befriend children and gain their trust.
Exposure to harmful content	Children may be exposed to harmful content online, such as pornography, violence, or hate speech.
Online predators	Online predators are adults who use the internet to target children for sexual abuse.
Identity theft	Identity theft is the crime of stealing someone’s personal information, such as their name, address, and date of birth, in order to commit fraud.
Financial fraud	Children may be tricked into giving out their personal information or money to online scammers.
In-app purchases	Many mobile apps, including games, include ‘in-app purchases’ which can lead to unintended expenses.
Malware	Malware is software that is designed to harm a computer system and can be downloaded from infected websites or attachments.
Phishing	Phishing scams involve criminals sending fake messages to steal personal information.
Sexting	Sexting involves sending sexually explicit messages or images, posing legal and emotional risks.
Deep Fakes	The misuse of AI to create fake images or videos, potentially for exploitation.

Protecting Children at School and Home

What We Do at School	What You Can Do at Home
Educate about bullying, including cyberbullying, in the PSHE curriculum.	Encourage open communication with children about their use of the Internet.
Educate about online safety including digital citizenship and digital footprints in the Computing curriculum.	Monitor internet use and discuss online interactions.
Filter the school’s Internet to block inappropriate content.	Use parental control tools to filter content and monitor internet use.
Monitor Internet use in the classroom during lessons.	Monitor social media and chat activities.
Automated scanning of school Internet accounts for inappropriate use.	Teach not to share personal information online and use security software.
Safeguarding systems in place for reporting and following-up with concerns about Internet use.	Use parental controls for in-app purchases or disable them.
Antivirus and network security tools in use. Software updates installed on school devices.	Install antivirus software and keep devices updated.
A designated digital safeguarding officer who monitors emerging threats to children’s online safety.	Discuss any concerns about your child’s Internet use with your child’s teacher.
Permit use of Internet-enabled devices only under supervision of school staff.	Allow use of Internet-enabled devices only in communal areas of the home and not in private spaces such as bedrooms.

Tips and Tools for Parental Controls

Routers and Internet Service Providers

Most home Internet routers provide parental controls which will allow parents to filter and monitor the online activity of those in their home. The routers which are provided by most service providers such as RCS-RDS or Vodafone include these features – check with your Internet provider about how to use these.

Mobile Devices

Android

For Android devices such as mobile phones and tablets you can use the Family Link service. This is a platform for parents to manage their children’s devices and accounts. It provides the ability to monitor Internet and app usage, manage screen time and control app downloads and purchases.

Find out more here.

iPhones and iPads

For Apple devices there are parental controls built directly into the device. This includes restrictions on Internet and app use and privacy settings. You can find out more about these here.

Apple devices also have a screen time feature that allows you to specify how much time your children are allowed to use their devices and set limits for specific apps. There is more information on the screen time feature available here.

In-App Purchases

Information on controls for In-App purchases can be found on the Google and Apple websites here:

Google
Apple

Screen Time

The amount of screen time that is appropriate for children varies by age and advice varies but a good guideline is:

Babies (0 – 18 months): None except for video chat from time to time.
Toddlers (18 – 24 months): Less than 1 hour per day watching appropriate video content.
Children (2 – 5 years): Still less than 1 hour per day during the week and up to 3 hours per day at weekends.
Teens (6-17 years): Up to 4 hours is okay but try to limit it to 2 hours per day during the week.

Digital Privacy

The boundary between allowing your children their privacy and monitoring their activities online is a difficult one to get right. It is important to be open and honest with your children about how and why you will be monitoring their online activities. It can harm trust if your child thinks you are spying on them. Have a conversation with your child about how they use the Internet, about your need to monitor how they use it in order to keep them safe and about how you will do this.

Particularly for younger children this means knowing the passwords to their online accounts and devices and proactively monitoring how your child uses them. You might decide to allow them greater privacy as they get older and become teenagers but it is still a good idea to continue to have conversations with them about their online activity and to insist on only using Internet enabled devices in communal areas of the home. Avoid allowing Internet use in bedrooms or private areas of the home where children are more likely to engage in risky behaviours.

Social Media

At what age is it appropriate for children to use social media? These popular social media platforms all require users to be at least 13 years old to access their platform.

SnapChat
WhatsApp
Facebook
X (Formerly Twitter)
Discord
Twitch
Instagram
TikTok
Google (except Google Apps for Education)

YouTube requires users to be at least 16 but younger users can access it with parent permission. YouTube recommends YouTube Kids as an alternative for children younger than 16.