Staying Safe on the Internet

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Being a SMART Digital Citizen

The internet is an amazing place to learn, play games, and chat with friends. To make sure your time online stays fun and safe, just remember to be SMART:

S is for Safe: Keep your personal information private. Never share your full name, home address, phone number, or school name. Keep your passwords secret—only your parents or carers should know them.
M is for Meeting: Never agree to meet someone in person that you only know from the internet. Remember, people online can sometimes pretend to be someone they are not.
A is for Accepting: Be careful before clicking "accept" or opening an attachment, link, or friend request from someone you don't know. These could contain "nasty" messages or viruses that could hurt your device.
R is for Reliable: Not everything you see on the internet is true. If you find information for your homework, try to check it on at least three different websites to see if they all say the same thing.
T is for Tell: This is the most important rule! If anything online makes you feel worried, scared, or uncomfortable, tell a trusted adult straight away. They are there to help you, and you won't be in trouble for speaking up.

Top Tips for Safe Surfing

Think Before You Click: Ask yourself: Is this website safe? If you aren't sure, ask a grown-up first.
Be Kind Online: Treat people on the internet with the same respect you would show them in the playground. Use the T.H.I.N.K. rule: Is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind?
Use Nicknames: When playing games, use a fun nickname instead of your real name so people can't identify you.
Check Age Ratings: Only use apps and games that are right for your age—those ratings are there to keep you safe.

Where to Learn More

If you want to practice your skills, check out these fun sites:

BBC Bitesize: Safer Internet Day – Videos and games for ages 5–7.
Childnet – Fun activities to help you become an internet pro.
ThinkUKnow – Great games and advice for children of all ages.

If you are under 18 and a nude image or video has been shared online you can report it and have it removed by following the link below

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/report-remove/

How Report Remove works

Having your nudes shared can feel scary, and it can leave you feeling worried or even ashamed. But it’s not your fault.

It’s against the law for anyone to share a sexual image or video of someone who’s under 18, and we’re working with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Yoti to help you remove any sexual image or video of you that’s online.

Report Remove is safe, easy and free – all you need to do is follow these steps:

choose your age range
create a Childline account so we can send you updates on your report
report your image or video to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)
talk to a Childline counsellor if you want any extra support, or access support on the Childline website
check your Childline locker a few days after your report to see if you need to add any more information and to see updates on your report
report any issues with this process by sending an email from your Childline locker with the subject 'Report Remove' and as much information about the problem as you can.

Read more about how to report an image or video.