It’s no secret that kids love the internet - and with a whole world of images, videos, sound and even friends available at the tap of a button, it’s no wonder.

Social media is an ever-evolving world, with new apps, features and settings cropping up every month. While it helps to stay on top of the trends, the best way you can protect your children is encouraging them to be open and honest about their experiences as they explore the web for themselves.

These discussions aren’t just a matter of keeping your children safe online in the short term - they also lay the foundations for internet etiquette, which is an increasingly vital skill.

As parents and carers looking back on our own childhood, we had playgrounds to play in; to run in the fields, slide down slides and play make believe with our friends. It was a place where we could explore, and learn, and grow, and play.

Would we expect children to play here on their own, unsupervised, in a playground? The resounding answer would be no, and therefore, the virtual playground provided by the internet also requires supervision and guidance.

As online media takes a more and more central place in the way we interact with others, it’s both necessary and rewarding to help our young people on their journey to becoming fully-fledged online citizens.

Safeguarding children online is interwoven into the curriculum at Discovery, with particular focus on computing and PSHE. By prioritising safeguarding as a thread throughout the PSHE and Computing curriculum, this ensures that the skills and knowledge that children require to keep themselves safe is consistently taught.

We’ve got some pointers to help you navigate the online playground, and make sure it remains a safe place for kids to develop their digital skills. Here are some helpful overviews on various different internet sites, gaming and online content to support you and your child online.