As children grow into teenagers, it’s normal that their curiosity about life will extend into the way they use the internet.

Professor Tanya Byron says: “Aged 13 to 16, there is heightened sexual curiosity and increased risk-taking – this is a natural part of their age and stage of development.”

You can read more about the specific topics of Cyberbullying, Social Networks and Sexting in our separate articles. We also have a piece on protecting Under 10s specifically.  

Each one contains advice on helping your child or teenager understand the dangers and overcome the problems should they occur.

Know the rules

Just as you would set boundaries for young people of this age in the offline world, do so online.

According to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety - which advises on the best ways to protect children online - two thirds of parents set rules for using the internet.

So even if they say something different, it’s likely your child’s friends are under the same restrictions.

The UKCCIS also say 18% of kids have come across harmful or inappropriate content online but only half do something about it.

Place links in the web favourites so that your children can easily find somewhere to report content that disturbs or upsets them.

Click here for a list of sites we recommend. 

Here we’ve put together six simple pieces of advice for you to follow to help children over the age of 10 stay safe online.

Set the ground rules

• Instant messaging is common among girls from the age of 10 to 12 with boys of the same age preferring to explore gaming or humorous content instead that may not be suitable for their age.
• Agree which websites they can and can’t visit and press home that they must not add anyone they do not know to their instant messaging accounts, even if that person claims to know one of their friends.

Be social but safe 

• From the age of 13, teenagers are allowed to have a profile on adult social networks such as Facebook. Do not allow younger children to set up a profile.
• Become friends with your child on the social network so you can monitor what they say, who they interact with and crucially who interacts with them.
• Remind them that these pages and this information could be accessed via the internet for the rest of their lives. What they put on there could count against them for university places and jobs.
• Teens should also be warned not to post information about parties they are having as in the past this has led to hundreds of uninvited guests turning up.

Control access

• Encourage your younger children to use privacy controls on social networks, online gaming consoles and instant messaging so they limit who can contact them.
• But showing you trust your teenager will go a long way to helping them become independent, and respect your views on what they can and can’t do.
• Only 15 per cent of parents however, activate internet controls on their child’s mobile phone [Ofcom, 2009]. The mobile networks can often do it for you for and bar websites aimed at over 18s.
• Mobile devices are now like mini computers and unless you set up access controls via your child’s handset, they could stumble upon content that is not designed for their age group or go in search of things you would not want them to see.

Viruses, spyware and downloading 

• At this age, children are far more likely to explore the parts of the web where cybercriminals operate, and to pick up a virus; so educate them on the dangers of computer viruses and spyware and how to avoid infection.
• Encourage a conversation about subjects such as music downloads and file sharing to ensure they know what is legal and what is not. These can also spread viruses and spyware.

Don't let bullies win 

• Mobile phones are often used to cyberbully through sending vicious texts or pictures. Monitor your child’s reaction when they receive messages on their handset but also via Instant Messaging and email.
• Sexting is becoming a growing issue among teenagers. Make sure they know that sending what are sometimes explicit images of themselves to friends, boyfriends or girlfriends could be illegal and they could be passed on to people who you wouldn’t want to see them.
• Do not allow them to have a webcam they can use in private in their bedroom. There is a possibility they could be persuaded to show themselves live on video to strangers.
• Remind them of the danger of a stranger piecing together information about their – and your – lives from snippets of info. Ensure there are never enough pieces from their personal life jigsaw - such as age, school and mobile number - to create the full puzzle.

Click for help 

• Show them what the Click CEOP button looks like.  It links through to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and features on the likes of MSN and Bebo. It can also be downloaded to their Facebook profile. The button can be used to report any abusive or disturbing behaviour from strangers within seconds with CEOP passing on information to the police and internet service providers to track down anyone trying to cause harm to a child.
• Visit www.thinkyouknow.co.uk and read the information on there together. It’s a great resource for internet safety advice for all age groups.

• Security Centre
• HomeSafe
• Parents Guide
  
  • Zip it, Block it, Flag it
  • Keeping your under 10's safe online
  • Keeping your over 10's safe online
  • Online gaming
  • IM, chat and social networks
  • Cyber bullying
  • Sexting
• Protect yourself
  
  • ID theft
  • Email, dos and don'ts
• Protect your things
  
  • Viruses and spyware
  • Backup safely