Written by Amelia Acford, Operations Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead at TLC LIVE
Originally written: 10th October 2025
Last updated: 30th January 2026
As learning becomes more online, keeping children safe in the digital world has never been more important.
At TLC LIVE Online School, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do and it matters just as much outside the classroom as it does during lessons. Ofcom’s 2025 report found that UK internet users aged 8–14 years-old spend just under three hours a day online on average, so it’s vital they are taught how to use the internet safely.
If you’ve ever wondered how to protect your kids online, this guide shares practical internet safety tips for parents and students.
What does online safeguarding mean?
Online safeguarding is about protecting children from harm on the internet and helping them develop the skills to stay safe. This covers all things online, whether they’re online for education purposes or browsing the internet. All children should feel safe online.
When we talk about how to protect your kids online, we’re usually thinking about four main types of risk:
- Content – what they see
- Contact – who they talk to
- Conduct – how they behave
- Commercial – how their data and/or money are used
Each part is important to talk about with your child. It can be the case that while parents are often very aware of the first three pillars, the commercial aspect can easily be overlooked.
Recent Ofcom research highlights this. 58% of children said they spent money online in the past month, and 15% of parents said they had no way of monitoring or restricting that spending. Out of the 97% of 8–17‑year‑olds who play online games, 53% had spent money in‑game and a third (32%) regretted at least one purchase. Sadly, 41% also said they overspend.
Having clear limits and guidance will help children build good habits when it comes to being online. It’ll also help to protect themselves from financial and data risks too.
Internet safety tips for parents and students
The internet can feel dangerous and overwhelming, but there is a lot you can do at home. These internet safety tips for students and parents will help you make online life safer and more manageable.
1. Set up devices and accounts safely
One of the most effective tips on how to be safe online is starting with a good setup. Use strong, unique passwords (at least 12 characters) for your child’s accounts. Short, simple passwords are much easier to compromise.
If your child’s password gets leaked or stolen, there’s no telling where it might be used or what for. Make sure that their passwords aren’t easy for hackers to break into by either setting up accounts with them, or telling them the rules of a strong password (e.g. use 12+ characters, don’t use their birthday as a pin).
Another tip is to ensure your child’s profiles aren’t easily searchable or visible to people they don’t know and use privacy settings on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to limit who can see posts and send messages.
Also make sure you turn on child profiles so you can control age ratings and content. If you’re unsure how to protect your kids online on a particular device or app, most major providers offer clear setup guides for families.
2. Agree clear family rules
Simple, consistent rules are a key part of internet safety for parents.
Set up ones like when and where devices can be used (for example, no phones in the bedroom overnight) and figure out which apps, games and websites are or aren’t allowed. Review these rules together regularly. What works for a 10-year-old will be different to a 16-year-old so keep their age in mind.
It’s also important to discuss what information is safe to share and what isn’t. Things like first names can be okay but let your child know they should never share addresses, details of their school, any passwords and never share any private images, even to people you trust.
Younger children may need closer supervision, whereas older students can have more independence, but having clear boundaries help everyone.
3. Talk regularly about online life
The most important tool in internet safety for students is an open, non‑judgemental relationship with them about their online life. A report from Microsoft found that parents often underestimate the risks their children face, which means many issues go unnoticed. By encouraging your child to tell you when something feels wrong, you make it easier to step in and support them.
Try to regularly ask open questions such as “What do you enjoy most online?” or “Has anything made you feel uncomfortable recently?”. Let your child show you their favourite games and creators to help build trust and show you’re interested. You don’t want to look like you’re policing everything they do, so showing interest can be a good thing.
These conversations are some of the most valuable internet safety tips for students. They help children feel safe coming to you when something goes wrong, which is crucial for how to keep kids safe online in the long term.
4. Use parental controls
For younger children especially, parental controls are a key part of internet safety and you should turn on parental controls on your home broadband and your child’s mobile network to filter inappropriate websites. It’s also common to use built‑in controls on phones, tablets, games consoles and smart TVs to manage their internet use.
Make sure to set up spending limits or require approval before in‑app purchases, particularly in games as children and adults alike can struggle with the persuasive designs built into social media and games. Time limits and screen‑free activities help keep online use healthy and balanced.
Parental controls are not a complete solution, but they support the family rules and conversations you’re already having and provide some extra security for parents.
5. Have a conversation about AI and misinformation
AI has changed how children interact with education and the internet in general so including AI in your internet safety tips for students helps them use these tools responsibly.
You can encourage them to use AI to support learning – for example, to explain a topic – but not to write whole assignments. One study in 2025 found that 88% of students reported using tools like ChatGPT for assessments, with 8% using AI without editing the output. Teaching responsible use is critical.
This might look like testing AI out together and assessing its output against the knowledge you know to be true. For example, most AI models don’t have up-to-date information and so may hallucinate an answer. For example, you could ask ‘Which film won the Best Picture at this year’s Oscars?’ and it won’t have the answer. Or use the famous ‘How many Bs in ‘blueberry’’ to highlight how the models function and why they can’t think like real humans. Letting children see that an AI can be wrong is really important for building up critical thinking skills.
Beyond education, it’s important to talk about misinformation and fake content. AI tools are increasingly able to produce realistic photos and videos, including fake explicit images. These can be used to spread misinformation or fuel cyberbullying. Let your child know it is unacceptable to generate such material and that if they see it, they must report it immediately.
Together, you can help children enjoy the benefits of the digital world while staying safe and supported.
How TLC LIVE helps keep online learning safe
As an online school and tuition provider, at TLC LIVE Online School we have the same legal and moral safeguarding duties as any mainstream school. We build internet safety for students into the way we deliver every lesson.
Key measures include:
- Safe, secure platforms – Lessons take place on closed platforms without public links or open chat rooms.
- Experience, DSB-checked teachers– All tutors are DBS‑checked and receive regular safeguarding and online safety training.
- Monitored communication – Chat functions and tools are there for learning and cannot be used for private messaging.
- Robust policies – We have clear behaviour and safeguarding policies that apply to all online lessons. Anti-bullying measures are embedded in these.
- Simple reporting routes – Students and parents can easily raise concerns, which are escalated quickly to our safeguarding team.
These are the kinds of protections you should look for in any school or tutoring provider. Our aim is to deliver the highest quality of teaching while following online safeguarding rigidly so that families can be confident their child is learning in a safe and secure environment.
Final thoughts
It’s important to remember that even with the best internet safety tips for parents and students, things can still go wrong. If something doesn’t feel right, speak up and make sure your child knows how to do so too.
Learning how to protect your child on the internet is an ongoing process, but you don’t have to manage it alone. Combining these internet safety tips along with safeguarding principles, you can support your child and help them enjoy the benefits of the online world while keeping them safe.
If you’re considering online learning as part of your child’s education journey, get in touch today to discuss how TLC LIVE Online School can support your child.