Parents urged to be vigilant about children’s online safety over Christmas

Parents have been urged to remain vigilant about their children’s online safety over the Christmas period, after new research showed many parents relax their online rules.

Online safety group Internet Matters said its latest study had found that 42% of parents said they were less strict with their children and their online activity over Christmas.

Many said the time of year was the reason for increased leniency, while 27% said it was to help keep their children occupied, and 18% said it was because they were busy with other things.

Digital Toolkit

Internet Matters is highlighting its My Family Digital Toolkit, which can offer personalised online safety advice based on a child’s age, the apps and devices they use, to help parents quickly and easily set up online safety features to protect their children.

Carolyn Bunting, co-chief executive of Internet Matters, said: “Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for parents, and it is easy for some of the usual rules to go out of the window, for parents and for children.

“After all, who doesn’t want to enjoy the run up to Christmas day with as little stress as possible?

“We want to give parents one less thing to worry about, so parents can use My Family’s Digital Toolkit, which offers straightforward and easy-to-follow advice, to help keep kids safe online during the festive season and beyond.”

Right choices

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “As the festive season approaches many families will be receiving new devices under the tree and with the usual work and school schedules on pause, screentime often increases.

“Tools like Internet Matters’ Digital Toolkit helps parents to make the right digital choices and set boundaries for their families just as they do in the offline world.

“This means young people can make the most of the opportunities the online world brings, whilst parents can have the peace of mind they are doing so in a safe and secure way, throughout all the Christmas fun and into the new year.”