In today’s digital world, devices are a significant part of family life. This page provides our school’s advice on how parents can promote safe and healthy habits when children use games consoles, phones, tablets, and home computers.
A combination of open communication, clear family rules, and the correct parental controls is the best approach to ensuring a positive online experience for your child.
Establishing a few core family rules for all devices can simplify online safety and create a consistent experience for your children.
Keep it Private: Teach your child to never share personal information (like full name, address, or school) with strangers online.
Think Before You Click/Share: Explain that anything posted online can be permanent. Encourage them to be kind and respectful and to stop and think before opening links, downloading files, or sharing photos/messages.
Tell a Trusted Adult: Instill the habit of immediately telling a parent or trusted adult if they see anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, confused, or worried.
Balance is Key: Encourage a balance of online and offline activities. Devices should not be used in a way that disrupts sleep, meals, or family time.
The Family Agreement: Create a Family Device Agreement together. Involve your children in setting rules about when, where, and for how long they can use devices. This promotes buy-in and responsibility.
Keep Devices Visible: Where possible, encourage device use to be in a shared family space (like the living room or kitchen) rather than a private bedroom.
Use Strong Passwords/PINs: Ensure you have strong passwords on your main accounts and a separate Parental Control PIN that your child does not know.
Model Good Behaviour: Children learn from you. Be mindful of your own device use, especially during mealtimes and family activities, to set a positive example.
Gaming is a major part of social life for many children. It’s important to manage not only the content they access but also their interactions with other players.
Respect Age Ratings: Teach your child that age ratings (like PEGI) are there for a reason and represent content appropriate for their maturity.
Managing Friends: Explain that they should only accept friend requests or chat with people they know and trust in real life.
Muting and Blocking: Show them exactly how to mute, report, and block other players who are being unkind or making them feel uncomfortable.
Family Accounts: Set up a main Family Manager account for yourself, and then create a separate Child Account for your child. This allows you to manage settings remotely.
Communication Controls: Restrict who your child can communicate with (e.g., only “Friends”) and disable user-generated content sharing if appropriate for their age.
Spending Limits: Set a monthly spending limit (or set it to zero) to prevent unapproved purchases of games, add-ons, or in-game currency.
Screen Time Limits: Use the console’s built-in tools to set daily or weekly play time limits that automatically enforce your family’s rules.
PEGI (Pan European Game Information): Guide to age ratings: [Search for PEGI ratings guide]
Xbox Family Settings: Microsoft’s guide to managing controls on Xbox and Windows: [Search for Xbox Family Settings]
PlayStation Parental Controls: Step-by-step guides for PS4 and PS5: [Search for PlayStation parental controls]
Nintendo Switch Parental Controls: Information on using the app and console settings: [Search for Nintendo Switch parental controls]
These devices are highly portable and often the first port of call for independent online access.
Computers are essential for homework but can also be a gateway to vast amounts of unrestricted content.
Ingredients:
Diced Chicken Breast
Onion
Puree Garlic
Madras Spice Curry Powder
Rapeseed Oil
Spice Ground Ginger
Coconut Milk
Korma Sauce
Boullion Chicken Powder
Peas
Sweetcorn
Cornish Sea Salt
Long Grain Rice
Spice Turmeric
Wholegrain Rice
Nutritional Information
| Nutrient | Portion | Per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate | 24.96 g | 10.19 g |
| Energy | 270.96 kcal | 110.60 kcal |
| Fat | 10.66 g | 4.35 g |
| Fibre | 1.69 g | 0.69 g |
| Protein | 18.75 g | 7.65g |
| Salt | 0.64 g | 0.26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5.85 g | 2.39 g |
| Sugar | 4.13 g | 1.68 g |
Allergens Information
Contains: Milk, SO2, Mustard and Wheat
