OnlineSafe

In development

Clear, practical help to keep your family safe online.

Step-by-step guides for UK parents, carers and anyone who wants to be safer online: how to set up the controls on your family’s phones, tablets and consoles, what the Online Safety Act means for you, and the everyday habits that protect your accounts.

Sam’s phoneAge 11
  • DowntimeNo apps from 9pm to 7am
  • Ask before downloadingA parent approves every new app
  • Game time1 hour a day, 2 at weekends
  • Web filterAdult websites blocked

What the guides will cover

We are writing the first guides now, starting with the questions parents ask most.

  • Parental controls that work

    Step-by-step set-up for iPhone and Android, games consoles, home broadband and the apps children use most.

    • Setting up parent and child accounts
    • Bedtimes, time limits and app schedules
    • Approving apps and purchases
    • Reviewing activity together

  • The Online Safety Act, explained

    What the law now expects of online services, and what it changes for you and your family.

    • What platforms must do to protect children
    • Age checks, and why you are seeing them
    • How to report harmful content and complain
    • What the Act does not cover

  • Everyday security basics

    Plain-English versions of the habits security professionals rely on, for your home and family.

    • Strong passwords and password managers
    • Two-step verification
    • Updates and backups
    • Spotting scams, and what to do next

Written in the open, checked by people who know

OnlineSafe will be an open project. Parents, carers, teachers and security professionals will be able to ask questions, suggest guides, point out mistakes and review what we publish.

Phones and apps change their settings often, so every guide will say exactly what it was checked on and when.

We will open the project to contributors soon.

Every guide will show

Tested on
The devices and software versions we checked each step on.
Last reviewed
When someone last confirmed the guide still works, and when it is next due.
Reviewed by
Who checked it, so you know it is not one person’s opinion.
Sources
The official help pages, laws and guidance we relied on.

Worried about a child right now?

  • 999If a child is in immediate danger, call the police.
  • Report to CEOPWorried about online sexual abuse, or the way someone is talking to a child online? Report it to the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Safety Centre.
  • 0800 1111Childline: free, confidential support for children and young people, day or night.
  • 0808 800 5000NSPCC Helpline: for adults who are worried about a child. Open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.