Ofcom asked 11 to 17 year olds what they had come across online in the previous four weeks. 73% had encountered harmful content, and around a third of them ran into it simply while scrolling their own feed rather than by going looking for it.
Which puts parents in an awkward position. Lock everything down and you get a child who hides things from you, and hiding is the actual danger. Rely on trust alone and you've left a nine year old to handle whatever the algorithm serves up next.
The answer isn't one or the other. It's guardrails and a conversation, and this course gives you both, including the wording for the conversation, which is usually the harder half.
What you get
An age-by-age guide, from under six through to fourteen and over. What's appropriate shifts enormously across that range, and the settings that suit a seven year old will simply be defeated by a thirteen year old.
The approach ladder. From guardrails plus trust at the top, down to controls imposed with no conversation at the bottom, which the course treats as the risky option rather than the safe one. Controls a child doesn't understand are controls they'll work around and not tell you about.
The Decision Matrix. What to deal with first, from age-matched controls through to the safety of older relatives, who are targeted just as hard and usually have nobody checking on them.
Clarity Scripts. The "come to me" promise, which is the single most protective sentence in the course. How to talk about strangers online without frightening a child into silence. And how to help an older relative without making them feel patronised.
A timed action plan and six self-tests. Family controls on, apps reviewed, the trust conversation had, and a family tech agreement in place. The tests check both halves: that the protection works, and that the openness is real.
This is for you if
- You want practical tools and the right words, rather than one or the other
- Your child has a device and you're not sure what they can reach on it
- You worry that clamping down will just push things underground
- You've never agreed any explicit rules about what happens if something goes wrong online
- You have an older parent being targeted by scams and don't know how to raise it
By the last page
Sensible controls in place, a clear age-by-age sense of what's appropriate, and the scripts that keep your family actually talking about this. That last part is what keeps working after the controls stop.
Course details
- Format: downloadable PDF
- Time to complete: 50 to 65 minutes
- Series: Course 15 of 20, GhostNet Cyber Fundamentals
- Track: Track C, Everyday Digital Safety, track finale
- Prerequisites: none
- Works on: any device, any operating system
- Level: complete beginner, no technical background needed
Buy with confidence
Every course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn't useful, email us within 30 days and we'll refund you in full. You don't need to give a reason.
Where to go next
Course 16, How the Internet Actually Works, opens Track D and explains the why underneath every habit you've built so far. Or take Everyday Digital Safety, the five-course bundle covering Courses 11 to 15, for £100 instead of £150.
