How can we ensure the safety of our young people, whilst also allowing them to explore the many learning benefits of this digital age?
The world of children’s online activity has changed rapidly, and safeguarding them now involves much more than simply blocking “bad websites.” It’s about understanding how risk can arise through everyday use: phones, social apps, messaging, games, and recommendation feeds, and making sure children have both protection and the resilience to make safer choices.
In England, government policy has recently moved further toward tightening what schools expect and enforce about mobile phones during the school day, on the premise that limiting distractions and misuse is part of keeping pupils safer and improving learning conditions.
The government has said it will introduce a legal requirement for schools in England to implement a clear phone-free approach across the school day through an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The Department for Education says the move will give legal force to what schools are already doing in practice.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had encouraged schools to adopt stronger guidance earlier in the year, stating schools should be phone-free for the entire day. The new amendment is intended to put that expectation on a statutory footing, meaning schools must pay attention to it, rather than relying on non-binding guidance alone.
The government also said schools’ mobile phone policies will be monitored as part of Ofsted inspections from April. The DfE framed this as enforcement strengthening, and reiterated that mobile phones have “no place in schools.”
Even with stronger school measures, children are still online everywhere else—at home, on transport, and outside school hours. The “ease of access” that comes with modern devices means children can encounter upsetting content, misleading information, and harmful behaviour quickly, often without warning.
However, there are many practical steps parents can take. By combining clear boundaries, appropriate privacy expectations, and open communication, you can significantly reduce risk—and help your child develop the ability to handle problems if they arise.
It’s not a one-off conversation. Online safety is something that needs consistent attention as your child grows.
Many parents worry about what children might see, click, or share—especially when they are using the internet in ways that look normal on the surface, such as messaging friends, browsing social media, or playing online games.
If you understand the types of behaviour your child is engaging in, you can address the real risks more effectively—whether that means encouraging them to think twice before sharing, helping them recognise misleading content, or agreeing rules around device use and boundaries.
It also matters to acknowledge a reality many families face: children can access social and communication platforms that are not designed with younger ages in mind. Even where minimum age rules exist, enforcement can be difficult, and the online environment can change quickly as apps update their features.
As a parent, you should be strict with allowing your child’s access to these sites at such an early age as it can become harmful if not used correctly. By informing yourself of these platforms, their regulations and guidelines, you can engage with your children informally about the proper usage. Set an example by using these platforms yourself in a healthy and positive way and openly discuss why they can be harmful to your child and how to engage only with safe material.
Exposure to inappropriate online content is a severe risk children face. It is important to emphasise to a child (depending on their age) that the internet does give many people opportunity to spread harmful opinions, messages of hate or share inappropriate photographic and film materials. This needs to be managed by you as a parent and it is recommended you take the necessary steps to block access to such material by using the many relevant security programmes out there designed to do so for anyone under eighteen.
Would you allow your child to engage and talk to a stranger in the street alone? The answer is probably no and so why should it be different online? The practice of “friending” someone online is common these days, but given how impressionable a young person is, it should not be encouraged unless the child actually knows the individual.
Get to know what your child is doing online by showing an interest. If your child enjoys playing online games, ask to join them once in a while. The more time you spend with your child, the more you will have an insight into their online habits and what interests them.
If your child is on social media, perhaps send them a friend request. Keep an eye on what they may be engaging with but never embarrass them by publicly commenting on their posts/images. If you have any questions or concerns, discuss it with your child in person as this encourages a healthier way to resolve issues away from the online world.
By setting some rules early in a child’s development when using the internet, you will save yourself a lot of trouble down the line. Perhaps allow access to the internet for an hour or two in the evenings after school, make sure your child doesn’t have endless access online on their mobile devices and ensure a healthy and positive relationship with the digital world is established. If your child is very young, don’t just allow them to sit in their room all day on the computer, make sure any devices are used in a family space where you can subtly keep an eye on things.
Overall it is a parent’s responsibility to keep a child safe, both in the real world and online. In school, this responsibility falls to the teachers and educators who look out for them. There are so many ways to ensure a child has a healthy and positive experience using the internet and its up to you to put things into practice.
Many UK boarding schools have their own policies and regulations to tackle online safety. Lessons in subjects such as PSHE and Technology will often cover a broad range of online issues young people face.
At Sevenoaks School, a highly selective coeducational independent school in Kent, PSHE and Technology classes help students to promote themselves, their friends and the school positively online.
“We work with students to explore risks like cyberbullying, sexting, personal safety, radicalisation, addiction and obsession as well as malware and hacking. This is highlighted especially every year during October’s Online Safety Week activities and in February to mark the annual, international Safer Internet Day.”
Other boarding and day schools such as Eton College and Cranleigh are taking extra steps to ensure their boarders aren’t exposed to excessive online activity. Read more about this in another one of our blog posts here.
There are so many charities such as the NSPCC and Childnet that exist to promote the importance of child safety online. Read further about the important issues young people face when using the internet and never be afraid to ask your child questions about their experience online.
UK Study Centre is fully committed to the online protection of all our students, both in our tutoring and guardianship sectors. All our academic tutors and experienced guardians are required to pass government standard background checks in order to work or care for our students. Should you wish to know more, please get in touch here.
