Online Safety

Encourage your child to think carefully about what they post and share online. Privacy settings should be checked regularly, personal information should be protected, and students should know how to block and report unwanted contact or inappropriate behaviour. Remind your child that their actions online can affect both themselves and others.

Online games can involve communication with people your child does not know. Encourage your child to protect their personal information, use privacy settings, understand who they are communicating with and tell a trusted adult if someone makes them uncomfortable or asks them to keep something secret.

Useful Link: UK Safer Internet Centre

Cyberbullying can happen through social media, messaging, gaming and other online services. Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult if they experience or witness bullying online. Where appropriate, keep evidence, use the platform's reporting and blocking tools and contact the school if the behaviour involves NOA students or is affecting your child at school.

Useful Link: Advice for parents and carers on cyberbullying

Encourage your child to be cautious about unexpected messages, links, competitions and offers online. They should never share passwords or security information and should stop and check before responding to something that appears suspicious.

Students should think carefully before sharing images of themselves or other people online and should never feel pressured into sharing something they are uncomfortable with. If an image has been shared without permission, or your child is worried about an image they have sent or received, encourage them to speak to a trusted adult or the school's safeguarding team.

Encourage your child to use strong, unique passwords, keep account details private and regularly review privacy settings. They should think carefully before sharing personal information such as their location, school, contact details or other information that could identify them.

Protect passwords | Check Privacy Settings | Think before sharing

Children can sometimes encounter content online that worries, upsets or confuses them. Encourage your child to talk to a trusted adult rather than dealing with it alone. Content can often be reported through the service or platform where it appears. If you are concerned about your child's safety or wellbeing, contact the school's safeguarding team.

Concerned about your child? → Report a Concern 

AI tools can be useful for learning, but the information they produce may not always be accurate or appropriate. Students should check information against reliable sources, follow NOA's expectations for using AI in their schoolwork and avoid entering personal or sensitive information into AI tools unless the school has approved their use.

Regular conversations about what your child does online can help them feel comfortable asking for help when something goes wrong. Take an interest in the apps, games and services they use, talk about both positive and negative experiences, and encourage them to tell you or another trusted adult if anything makes them worried or uncomfortable.

Childnet - Parent and Carers

Parental controls can help families manage access to content, purchases, communication and other features. Controls are available through broadband providers, mobile networks, devices, games and individual apps. Review these settings regularly as your child gets older and the services they use change.

Parental controls can be helpful, but they work best alongside regular conversations about staying safe online.

Internet Matters - Parental Controls

Talk to your child about the social media platforms they use and who they communicate with. Encourage them to check their privacy settings, protect personal information and think carefully before posting or sharing content. Make sure they know how to block and report unwanted contact or behaviour.

Parents should check the age requirements of individual platforms.

UK Safer Internet Centre - Parents and Carers

Many games allow players to communicate and interact with other people online. Talk to your child about who they play with, keeping personal information private and what they should do if another player makes them uncomfortable. Check the game's privacy, communication and purchasing settings together.

Ask About Games - advice for families

Encourage a healthy balance between online and offline activities, including schoolwork, physical activity, hobbies, family time and sleep. Families may find it helpful to agree expectations around when and where devices are used, particularly during homework, family time and before bed.

Internet Matters - Screen Time Advice

If something online worries, frightens or upsets you, tell a trusted adult. This could be a parent or carer, teacher or member of the safeguarding team. You can also use the reporting and blocking tools available on many apps, games and websites.

Report a Concern | Childnet Young People

Don’t feel you have to respond or deal with online bullying by yourself. Tell a trusted adult and, where appropriate, keep evidence of what has happened. You can block or report accounts using the tools provided by the platform. If the bullying involves NOA students or is affecting you at school, tell a member of staff.

Report to your head of year or Report a Concern

Be careful about communicating with people you only know online. Don’t share personal information such as your address, school, passwords or location. If someone pressures you, asks you to keep conversations secret or makes you uncomfortable, stop communicating with them and tell a trusted adult.

Report a Concern or report to CEOP 

If you are worried about an image that has been shared online, speak to a trusted adult or a member of the school safeguarding team. Don’t feel pressured to deal with the situation alone.

Report a Concern | If you are concerned around a sexual images or videos of yourself have been shared online contact Childline Report Remove

Not sure about an app your child is using?

Find information about popular apps, games and platforms, including age guidance, privacy, parental controls and potential risks.

Internet Matters