Online Safety at Christmas: 2017 Template Letter and Useful Links for Parents
As Christmas time approaches, with 92% of 5- to 15-year-olds now online (Ofcom 2017), it's likely that many children and young people will be looking forward to receiving technology based gifts under the tree this year. This means the festive period is a great opportunity to highlight simple tips to help parents and carers make safer choices when buying new devices. It may also serve as a timely reminder to encourage parents to consider how they can help their children to keep safer online during the festive period, and beyond. To help support educational settings the e-Safety Development Officer has created a template letter for Designated Safeguarding Leads, headteachers or managers to adapt and share with their communities.
Additional links to share with parents/carers at Christmas include:
- Childnet - Things to consider when buying tech gifts this Christmas
- UK Safer Internet Centre - Top tips for staying safe online at Christmas
- Internet Matters: Christmas is for sharing : Social media tips
- Internet Matters: Tips on making shared devices safe for kids to use online
- Parent Zone: How much screen time is too much this Christmas?
- Common Sense Media: How Plugged-In Families Can Have a Device-Free(ish) Holiday
- Get Safe Online: Christmas Devices
- EE: EE partners with internet matters to keep children safe online this Christmas
- The Modern Parent: A letter from Santa for a new device, phone or tablet
Educational settings may also find it helpful to adapt or share these parent/child contracts from FOSI which can be given to children alongside their new devices. Settings may wish to use the letter and/or links in its entirely, or use the content within existing communication such as the school/setting newsletter or social media channels.
- The 2016 edition of this post is available here.
- Our colleagues at LGfL DigiSafe also have helpful advice and links for schools here.
We would like to wish all of our subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Ashley Assiter, e-Safety Development Officer and Rebecca Avery, Education Safeguarding Adviser (Online Protection) 
