Helping your child stay safe online
Staying Safe Online
Across Edinburgh schools, pupils learn about cyber resilience and internet safety throughout school as part of Digital Literacy. Parents and carers are an important part of that team, because children go online at home as well as at school.
🔒 Cyber resilience
This is about the device and its connection to the internet: how to recognise threats, react to them and recover from them.
🤝 Internet safety
This is about helping young people to be safe, smart and kind to others when they are online.
What You Can Do
The internet is not a thing; it is a place that children can go. As with anywhere your child goes, it helps to ask:
- Where are they going?
- Who are they going with?
- What will they be doing there?
- Can they go on their own, or do you need to go with them?
💬 Talk about it
Take a real interest in what your child likes to do online, and make sure they know they can talk to you if they see something that makes them uncomfortable.
🏠 Use shared spaces
Try to make sure devices are only used in communal areas of the house, such as the living room or kitchen.
📝 Agree the ground rules
A digital family agreement can help you decide together how devices are used at home. Internet Matters has a free template.
Digital family agreement template🛡️ Set parental controls
Internet Matters has guides for setting parental controls on many devices and platforms. Also check the age rating on the apps your child uses.
Parental controls guidesHelpful Websites
These are websites recommended by the City of Edinburgh Council for parents and carers. They open in a new tab.
🌟 Internet Matters
The Council’s top recommendation: advice on everything from screen time to tailored guidance for your family.
👨👩👧 Parent Zone
Articles, videos and podcasts to help you feel confident supporting your child online.
📱 Family SmartStart
A free toolkit for families giving a child a phone, with security and privacy set-up and conversation starters.
📘 Children’s Commissioner guide
“What I wish my parents or carers knew”: a guide to talking about your child’s digital life.
🚨 CEOP for parents and carers
Advice, the latest national guidance and routes for reporting concerns.
🎮 National College
Explainers about apps and games your child may talk about, to help you decide if they are right for them.
💬 Aye Mind conversation starters
A digital wellbeing toolkit to help you start conversations with your child, suitable for all ages.
School iPads and Responsible Use
All pupils who use a school iPad agree to a responsible use agreement. You can read it, and find more advice from the Council, here:
Worried about something that has happened online? Please contact the school office at admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk. CEOP also gives advice and routes for reporting concerns.
Questions about the iPad itself? Email JAM-Digital@ea.edin.sch.uk.