Online Safety for Early Years
Love it or hate it, the internet is very much part of our children’s lives, and used
correctly, it can certainly benefit their development and understanding of the world
around them. In order to do this, however, it is vital that both parents/carers and early
years settings acknowledge and implement measures to enable children to use
devices safely and protect them from harm.
How can a child's use of digital devices affect their development?
There are some quite scary figures out there – according to the 2024 Ofcom report, 85% of children aged 3 to 4 are using apps such as You Tube, a quarter of the same age group own their own Smartphones and at least half of children aged 3 to 12 use at least one social media app, despite the minimum age requirement being 13. The need to protect children has never been greater.
Benefits
Used properly, there are undoubtedly benefits
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Providing opportunities to promote creativity and learning
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Improving numeracy and literacy skills
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Encourage language development
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Develop digital skills which will prepare them for future life
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Gain a greater understanding of the world around them
Challengesï‚·
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Exposure to inappropriate content
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Can have a significant impact on how they control their emotions
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Can even have an impact on how they interact with other children and adults
How much screen time is safe for the under 5’s?
In 2019 the World Health Organisation published a study into physical activity,sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. Its research put ahuge emphasis on the importance of physical activity for this age group , for exampleit recommends at least 180 minutes a day in physical activity of some kindthroughout the day for the 3-4 age group.
The WHO advice on screentime is as follows:
Under 1 – screen time is not recommended
1 year olds – any sedentary screen time is not recommended
2-4 year olds – sedentary screen time should be no more than an hour
How can we support young children to access technology safely?
These are the basic rules which should be discussed with children to keep them safe
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Only use a computer when an adult is nearby.
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Tell an adult straight away if you see something that upsets you.
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Never talk to anyone online without an adult with you
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Never send anyone your picture.
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Never tell anyone personal information about yourself, like your address
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Never tell anyone your password
Further advice can be found at
Children and technology: Age-appropriate usage advice | NSPCC
Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre
Keeping children safe online | Barnardo's
Child Safety Online: A practical guide for parents and carers - GOV.UK
How does Middleton Cheney Pre School keep children safe online?
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1) Supervised access to tablets – Children never have unsupervised access totablets.
They are only used as an activity instigated by an adult e.g. if a childwants to know more about a particular subject. They are never alone with atablet.Children’s tablets are very occasionally used by children, however, they areagain supervised and only contain non online educational games such asLego and Cbeebies
2) Filters – children’s tablets are fitted with blockers which means they cannot go online.
Adult tablets (which are also used with children as part of an activity)have filters which block any inappropriate websites – any device which logs onto ourrouter cannot access these websites.All tablets are password protected .
3) We discuss with children how to keep safe online – we talk about the rulesmentionned above through displays and books. Recommended books“I can….Play Online” by Becca“Chicken Clicking” by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross“#Goldilocks” by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross“Troll Stinks” by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
4) Staff complete training on IT safety - Staff complete specific training and alsowork in line with our Acceptable use of IT, and Internet Safety policy as well asSafeguarding policies.
5) Advice for parents – links and advice for parents are available through ournewsletter, on our website and in displays in the setting.
We hope you find this useful, and that you can continue to have fun safely online with your children.
Below are examples of some websites which you may enjoy with your children.