Keep your child safe online

Need to know

Tools like parental controls aren't perfect and some children may find ways around them. We recommend building trust and speaking openly about online safety.

Get Internet Matters advice

Internet Matters ABC online safety checklist

Help children stay safer on their devices with the Internet Matters ABC online safety checklist. You can download it and get age-specific advice.

Activate parental controls

You’ll need to set up parental controls in more than one place. You can set controls on:

the mobile network
your WiFi at home
their phone
apps on their device

We've created a guide that explains the different kinds of parental controls, and how to switch them on.

Limit their app downloads

You can set up password that your child would need to enter if they wanted to download an app. This helps you to see what they want to use. Make sure to use a secure password that they won't guess.

Balance screen time

Help your kids create a healthy balance of spending their time online and offline.
Make screen time breaks fun and meaningful.
Organise activities spent outdoors and together as a family.

Get advice from the charity Internet Matters on how to create a healthy balance.

Screen time tools

You can control how much time your child spends on their phone, or on certain apps.

Set daily time limits for certain apps or categories like social media and gaming.
See a breakdown of how much they’ve used their phone and individual apps.
Create bedtime and focus periods where apps are restricted.

Internet Matters has an in-depth breakdown into the different screen time tools available, including how to talk about these with your kids.

Check and chat

Talk regularly with your kids about online safety, including topics like cyberbullying and inappropriate content.
Create a safe space so they feel comfortable making you aware of something that's happening to them online.
Support them to use privacy settings on social media and other accounts to protect their information.

Search by your child's age in this Internet Matters guide to get expert advice.

Get personalised advice

Internet Matters offers free, personalised online safety advice. Fill out a 7-question survey and they'll create a digital toolkit that you and your family can use.

Also, they have advice if you want more information or have concerns around a certain subject.

Your child will likely use the internet to use social media and chat to their friends. Help them enjoy it safely by:

setting privacy settings together
reminding them to pause before sharing
using supervision tools

Read the Internet Matters advice hub to find out how and for guide to topics like cyberbullying.

Most kids will stream and browse content online. There's lots out there that's inappropriate, so it's important to monitor what they're doing.

Use parental controls to filter what they see.
Stick to trusted platforms.
Monitor their screen time and encourage screen breaks.

Encourage your children to browse safely, check out the Internet Matters guide.

Support neurodivergent young people

If your child is neurodiverse, their online space may be a beneficial part of their life. But, they're more likely to experience harm.

Explore advice on how to keep neurodivergent children and young people safer online from Internet Matters.

Visit an EE store

You can book an appointment with an EE Guide in your local store. They’ll help you learn how to keep your child safer online and give you tips to try and stop harmful situations from happening.

Also, they’ll show you how to set up the different kind of parental controls on a new or old phone.

If you’re handing down a phone, they can:

reset to factory settings
update to the latest software

If you have WiFi from EE, they can support with how to set restrictions on your hub when your child’s connected at home.

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