Teens (14+)

Online safety advice

As your child becomes a teenager, it’s likely the internet will be a part of their daily life. They’ll adapt quickly to new technology and use it to communicate, socialise and create. Most teenagers have access to the internet using a smartphone or tablet, and use a wide range of social media sites as a vital part of their relationships with others.

Display video transcript
supporting teens online 14 plus

now that your child's a teen the

internet will be a part of their daily

life

so have regular chats with them about

keeping themselves safe online

help them to think about how they can

build their critical thinking

and deal positively with any risks they

may be faced with online

adjust your parental control settings to

match their level of emotional maturity

our setup safe parental control guides

will walk you through the steps

from parental controls on your home

broadband to internet-enabled devices

your team has access to

put in place a family agreement that you

all agree to

to manage expectations of when where

and how they should use their connected

devices

developing a healthy relationship with

screens is also important

try not to dwell on how much time is

spent on screens but encourage your team

to use devices for a purpose

talk to them about how they can

self-regulate their screen time

for health benefits and removing

distractions

be a good role model as children tend to

copy what they see

don't be afraid to bring up challenging

issues like sexting

pornography and cyberbullying you'll

both benefit from these subjects being

out in the open

reassure your team that you're here to

support them and will not judge them if

they have an issue they feel is too

embarrassing to share

you can also make them aware of other

organizations that can support them

like Childline, if they feel they can't

come to you

keep them safe on the move by

encouraging them to use inbuilt

safety settings on mobile networks and

devices to filter out inappropriate

content

encourage them to review their privacy

settings on their social networking

sites to stay in control of what they

share and with who

talk about creating a positive digital

footprint

by encouraging them to create an online

image which reflects who they are

help your teen feel confident about

saying no if they're asked to do

something that puts them or others at

risk

and help them critically assess what

other people say about them online

talk to them about the pressure of being

asked to send revealing images

and point them to apps that can help

them feel empowered like Zipit

to build their digital resilience give

them a small allowance that they can use

to download

apps music and films for themselves

from places, you have both agreed on

doing all these things will help teens

become more web-savvy and thrive online

because safety on the internet matters

you

What's New?
What is the Triller app?
What is the Triller app?
Read article
A young person’s experience of digital piracy
A young person’s experience of digital piracy
Read article
So you got naked online (SEND version)
So you got naked online (SEND version)
See guide

Internet safety checklist for teens 

Use our list of practical tips to help teens have a safer online experience and build up their resilience to get the best out of the digital world as they grow. You’ll also find a range of helpful tools and expert tips for further support.

Checklist: Supporting teens (14+) online

Stay involved

Keep talking and stay interested in what they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to bring up challenging issues like inappropriate content, sextingpornography and cyberbullying. It could be embarrassing, but you’ll both benefit from the subjects being out in the open.

Keep their information private

Your child can set privacy settings on most social networking sites so that only close friends can search for them, tag them in a photograph or share what they’ve posted. Talk to them about their personal information, how it can be misused and how they can also take ownership of it.

Stay safe on the move

Use safe settings on all mobile devices but be aware that if your child is accessing the internet using public WiFi, filters to block inappropriate content may not be active. Some outlets, like McDonald’s, are part of family friendly WiFi schemes so look out for RDI Friendly WiFi symbols when you’re out and about. You can also use parental control apps or software on devices to help limit harms on the go.

Be responsible

Talk to your teenager about being responsible when they’re online. Children often feel they can say things online that they wouldn’t say face-to-face. Teach them to always have respect for themselves and others online.

Talk about online reputation

Let them know that anything they upload, email or message could stay around forever online. Remind them they should only do things online that they wouldn’t mind you, their teacher or a future employer seeing. Get them to think about creating a positive digital footprint.

Show you trust them

If you can afford to, give them a small allowance that they can use for spending online so they can download apps, music and films for themselves, from places you agree together.

Don’t give in

Remind them how important it is not to give in to peer pressure to send inappropriate comments or images. Point them to the Send this instead and Zipit apps which will help them deal with these types of requests.

Why it matters: Facts & Stats

pdf image

Device use

of children aged 12-15s who own a mobile are allowed to take it bed with them

pdf image

Biggest parental concern

Parents with children in this age bracket tend to have the least awareness of what their child is engaging with online.

pdf image

Screen time management

of parents of 12-15s find it harder to control their child’s screen time

Resources document

See our parenting digital natives report to get more insight on parents concerns about their children’s digital lives.

Featured recommended resources

Learn about what teens might be doing online

What issues might affect teens?

Here are some of our favourite resources to help you learn more about e-safety for teenagers and pass on the message to them. We’ve also highlighted some apps to help them navigate the digital world.

Guides and resources for parents

image

BBC iWonder Guide

As part of our new partnership with the BBC, we’ve worked together to create an interactive guide to give you practical tips on how you can keep your children safe online. It covers 7 key areas such as “Taking control with tech” and “What kind of parent am I?”.

image

Digital Parenting

Vodafone’s Digital Parenting provides checklists and practical advice on keeping children safe online.

image

O2 and NSPCC online safety helpline

From setting up parental controls to reporting online bullying, you can call the free helpline on 0808 800 5002, or visit an O2 Guru in store.

image

Google safety tools for families

Set ground rules with Google Family Link and use a range of safety tools to help the whole family build good online safety habits.

image

O2  & NSPCC NetAware

O2 and NSPCC’s Net Aware is a guide for parents of 50 of the most popular social networks, apps, and games with children. You can download it as an app or visit the site to stay informed.

image

Back to school guides online safety guides  – supporting teens

Although digitally savvy teens are the most confident online, they are more likely to experience online issues as they get older. Find out what these are and how you can support them with our guide.

image

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp tools to navigate social media safety

Get tools and tips to support your child’s digital wellbeing on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp

image

BBC documentary: Teenage Kicks – Love, Sex and Social media

Get insight on how teens use social media, how they manage romantic relationships and the impact on porn on their understanding of their own bodies. Features teenagers discussing their experiences.

image

Parent Info

Parent Info is a collaboration between CEOP and Parent Zone. It provides high-quality information to parents and carers about their children’s wellbeing and resilience. Schools can host the content on their own website and use it in any other ways (in letters to parents etc) that they want.

image

Young Minds parents helpline

Young Minds Parents Helpline is available to offer advice to parents and carers worried about a child or young person under 25. Call 0808-802-5544 to get support.

image

American Academy of Pediatricians 

Use the AAP’s ‏tool to create a family media plan to help you to think about media & create goals & rules that are in line with your family’s values.

image

Mumsnet Guide

Advice and top tips for keeping children under five safe online.

image

Guide to Monitoring apps

With the help of Pocket-lint’s Andy Robertson, we’ve given tips on how best to use them and reviewed the top apps available.

image

Internet Matters Wellbeing Apps guide

We’ve scoured the best of the net to uncover popular (FREE) wellbeing apps available to download.

image

Good App Guide

Use the Good App Guide to get independent reviews of children’s apps, parenting and child development advice. It is run by Fundamentally Children an organisation dedicated to helping children develop skills through play

Online safety activities to do with your child

image

BBC Own It

Own it covers everything from online privacy and avoiding malware, through to dealing with everyday dilemmas children face online, as well as having fun. Quick links to charities and organisations like Childline, whose phone lines and online chat can provide urgent support should children need it, will also be available.

image

Thinkuknow

Age-appropriate games, activities and information that can teach teens how to keep safe online.

image

Stop Speak Support code

Created by young people for young people, the code offers simple steps to take positive action to deal with cyberbullying.

image

BBC Bitesize

Part of the BBC’s ‘Bitesize’ resources and suitable for children aged 11-14. An interactive video that helps children to recognise and avoid potentially dangerous situations online.

Apps to help children get the most from the digital world

image

For Me – Childline app

Created by Childline it is said to be the first app to provide counselling to young people directly through their smartphone.

Invented by four teenagers who wanted to use technology to address the urgent need for confidential support among young people, the ‘For Me’ app is free to download in the UK and has been specifically designed for discreet usage.

image

Zipit

Made by ChildLine, Zipit aims to help teenagers deal with difficult sexting and flirting situations. The app offers humorous comebacks and advice and aims to help teenagers stay in control of flirting when chatting.

image

Calm Harm

Calm Harm is an app designed to help people resist or manage the urge to self-harm. It’s private and password protected.

image

Disrespect NoBody

The Disrespect NoBody website aims to prevent young people from becoming perpetrators and victims of abusive relationships by encouraging them to re-think their views of abuse, controlling behaviour and what consent and sexting – the sending of explicit images by phone or email – means within relationships.

Find related advice, articles, and resources

Choose filters to narrow your search

See a broad range of age-specific resources to help children stay safe online. Use the filter to sort the resources you'd like to see.
Filter
Sort by
Apps & Platforms
The logo for X (formerly Twitter).
What is X? What parents need to know about safety and changes to Twitter
To keep users safe, Twitter has developed a variety of parental control and privacy settings. Learn what they are and how they can be used by you or your child.
To keep users safe, Twitter has developed ...
Research
A girl lays in bed with a sad expression and her smartphone face down.
Internet Matters x Nominet research: Methods to prevent the spread of self-generated CSAM
In this blog we share findings from Round 2 of our research into the prevention of sexual image-sharing among 11-13-year-olds.
In this blog we share findings from ...
Policy & guidance
A child wears headphones and uses a smartphone.
Principles for providers of children’s residential care
These 9 principles outline best practice for supporting online safety for children in residential care.
These 9 principles outline best practice for ...
Parental controls
talktalk homesafe logo
TalkTalk HomeSafe guide
Learn how to manage your parental control network settings on the TalkTalk network with our step-by-step how-to guide.
Learn how to manage your parental control ...
Articles
Two teens look at a smartphone.
Why do teens use anonymous apps like Omegle?
Anonymous apps like Omegle remain popular among teens despite some safety concerns. We asked 15-year-old Freya and 16-year-old Harry about their experiences using anonymous apps.
Anonymous apps like Omegle remain popular among ...
Apps & Platforms
Omegle logo
What is Omegle? What parents need to know
Omegle, a video-chat-social media site create for over 13s has gain popularity during the pandemic, it allows users to have chats with strangers.
Omegle, a video-chat-social media site create for ...
Articles
What is Yubo? – What parents need to know
Yubo is a social media app that encourages teens to find new friends by allowing them to swipe left or right to connect and live stream. Learn what safety features Yubo uses to keep kids safe.
Yubo is a social media app that ...
Parent stories
A close up image of a hand holding a smartphone, possibly scrolling social media.
How one dad deals with misogyny content teen boys consume
James Coomber of Wiltshire lives with his wife and their two teenaged sons. He worries about the misogynistic content teen boys consume across the digital space. See how James deals with misogyny that comes from popular online influencers and celebrities.
James Coomber of Wiltshire lives with his ...
Showing 8 of 644 results
Load more