This month, in collaboration with the office of North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Andy Dunbobbin and North Wales Police, Get Safe Online is launching a ‘Safer Kids’ campaign to encourage children across the region to use the internet safely, securely and with confidence. As schools break up for summer, the timing couldn’t be better.
Get Safe Online is a service commissioned by the office of the PCC and the local Police Force to share helpful information and advice with the people of North Wales.
Tony Neate, CEO at Get Safe Online, said: “The internet has so many benefits and for our children to have the opportunity to use it to support their studies, interact with their friends and even to shop, has become second nature. However, as with so many other things they do, it’s really important that they do so safely. Our campaign this month focuses on key advice to help kids enjoy a safe and happy experience on the internet.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin commented: “Supporting victims and communities across North Wales is a priority in my plan to reduce crime in North Wales and our children and young people lie at the heart of a safe society. They are what we hold most precious.
“As we head into the summer holidays, it is therefore vital we do all we can to ensure our children and young people stay safe online. As parents and guardians, summer can be a difficult time juggling childcare with work, looking after the home and seeing to other family members. This means children can be sometimes less supervised than when at school and that’s why advice like that from Get Safe Online is so important at this time.”
PC Dewi Owen from North Wales Police’s Cyber Crime team added: “For many children and youngsters spending time online is a very important part of their lives. It’s an opportunity to socialise, have fun and relax and to be creative and learn about new things. However, spending time online can also expose youngsters to bullying, inappropriate content or comments, or risks associated with stranger contact.
“The 10- to 15-year-olds' Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed that 92.6% of children went online daily with 58.1% spending three or more hours a day online on an ordinary school day. The most common activities children used the internet for were watching videos online (80.0%), messaging (77.6%) and playing online games (75.3%). Worryingly more than a third (35.0%) of children said that they had accepted a friend request from someone they did not know, around one in five children said they’d spoken to someone online who they had never met in person before, 8.5% shared their location publicly and 7.6% sent a photo or video of themselves to someone they had never met.
“We therefore encourage parents to show an interest in their children’s online activities and to have open conversations with them to find out more about which apps they use and which websites they visit and what sorts of things they do on there. Parents could even ask youngsters to teach them about the apps that they use and websites that they visit. It’s also very important that youngsters understand that not everyone online is who they say they are. Parents should consider setting up parental controls to mitigate some of the risks and make sure that youngsters have a list of trusted adults that they can speak to if something worries or upsets them when online. It’s also important to help youngsters to understand the benefits of taking regular breaks away from the screen and it’s worth considering setting healthy screen time limits.”
Get Safe Online’s advice includes:
- Start the conversation early – and keep it going. Talk openly about common online risks like oversharing, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and interacting with strangers.
- Point them in a safer direction. Encourage the use of child-friendly apps and platforms, such as YouTube Kids.
- Keep up with digital trends – especially the risky ones. Get to know which ones your child is using and how they work.
- Don’t underestimate the emotional impact. Help your child understand how online experiences can influence emotions, self-esteem, and mental health.
- Respect age restrictions.
- Set clear rules from the beginning.
- Make the most of built-in tools. Use parental controls on devices, games, browsers, and social platforms.
- Be cautious with video calls. Allow communication only with trusted contacts.
- Talk about the pros and cons of online gaming.
- Teach critical thinking about online content. Help your child spot misinformation, fake news, and AI-generated content.
- Remind them to think before they share personal details, photos, videos — once they’re online, they can be hard to take back.
- Stick to trusted sources for apps. Download apps only from official stores like Google Play or the App Store.
- Stay observant, not overbearing. Keep an eye on your child’s online behaviour and watch for warning signs.
For more tips and guidance, visit www.getsafeonline.org/safehappykidsonline