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Staying Safe Online: E-Safety Tips for Children and Parents


Children face different pressures today than they did just ten years ago – something we spend a lot of time thinking about at Mentor. One particular consideration for all educators, parents and carers concerns e-safety and how we can keep young people safe in the fast-paced, ever-changing environment of the online world.

So your child has passed the 11 plus and is moving to secondary school! This transition from primary school to secondary school can be a worrying time generally – not least when it comes to e-safety. Children can often feel like small fish in a big pond. They have to navigate a much bigger campus and suddenly being surrounded by students who look much older than them.

The pressure to make new friends quickly is intense. These friendships can take place online as well as offline, which is a new consideration for parents who grew up without constant technology access. Childnet International estimates that on the first day of Senior School a child may receive around 200 Instagram and Snapchat friend requests. As such, it should not be a surprise if your child comes home from school after their first day and is unable to relax. Instead, they might be glued to their phone all evening, sifting through all these new potential connections and – possibly – worrying about what it all might mean.

little boy sitting on a sofa smiling at his iPad

Your child won’t want to alienate anyone, so though it might be tempting to take the mobile device away for the evening, avoid this. Instead, familiarise yourself with the most popular platforms by creating an account together with your son or daughter, or simply one for yourself. Most apps stipulate a minimum user age of 13, but there are ways around this – and there are some services that don’t enforce a minimum age.

E-Safety: What Can I Do?

Striking a balance between letting your child take part in what is – in the modern era – an important part of adolescent friendship and keeping them safe online is hard; but there are things you can do to protect them. Below are some of our top tips:

Do you have any e-safety tips you’d like to share? Hop on over to our Facebook and Twitter pages and join the discussion; don’t forget to follow us, too, so you can stay up to date with all our news!

Read our articles on how much screen time is healthy and how to set screen time boundaries.


Get in Touch

Find out how Mentor can help you support you and your child as you approach the 11+. Get in touch today.


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