https://foundationyears.org.uk/2022/10/foundation-years-vodcast-on-online-safety/
Key points from the discussion between Gill Holden (DfE) and Sue Asquith (EY consultant):
**2022 Ofcom Online Nation report – 23% of children have their own smartphone and 56% of 3–15 year olds play games online; plus children who might use a parents’ laptop, tablet or phone to access the internet –
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/238361/online-nation-2022-report.pdf
**Sue states that Govt guidelines do not recommend any screen time for children under 3; children 3-4 years should have no more than 1 hour of screen time a day. I cannot find a link for this guidance.
Sue doesn’t mention this, but further guidelines from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (2019) advise 2-5 year olds are limited to 1 hour of high quality programs a day –
https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2018-12/rcpch_screen_time_guide_-_final.pdf
**Use technology safely – plan how to use it as part of the curriculum, research first to ensure it is safe for the children and teach online safety as you go along, to help children learn to stay safer online.
**Use safer internet searches for children such as Kiddle and supervise them closely when they are online.
**Support parents to use technology safely at home – share how to set parental controls and how to keep children safer on outings when the controls might not work; provide parents with links to the resources you use to teach children about online safety.
This is a link to the pre-school booklet that Sue mentions –
http://www.socialworkerstoolbox.com/little-birds-internet-security-adventure-storybook-pre-schoolers-online-safety/
Smarty the Penguin is a good resource for slightly older children –
https://www.childnet.com/resources/smartie-the-penguin/
Guidance from the UK Council for internet safety (2019) –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-and-protecting-professionals-in-early-years-settings-online-safety-considerations
There is also some useful guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 –
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1101454/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2022.pdf
We know that this comes up regularly in Ofsted inspections - even relating to babies and very young children - so the vodcast, alongside this blog, will help you to get your ducks in a row ready.
Chat soon, Sarah