Crime reduction 

Stay safe online - children and young people

Information for young people

The Child Exploitation Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has produced a website purely for young people between five and 16 years old. For tips and advice on how to stay safe online, visit the thinkuknow website (opens new window).

Top tips for parents

It is vital to protect children when they use the web. The CEOP offers 24-hour advice and information to parents and potential victims of online child abuse.

Set up in 2006, the CEOP provides a single point of contact for the public, law enforcers, and the communications industry to report the targeting of children online. The CEOP works with police forces around the world to protect children.

• Talk to your child about what they are doing online and visit the Parents section of the CEOP website (opens new window). Ask your child to show you around the age-appropriate related sites: 5-7s (Hector’s World), 8-10s (Cybercafé) or watch one of the films on the 11-16s site.
• Make sure your children understand that they should keep online friends online. If they want to meet someone in the real world, make sure they take you, or another trusted adult, with them.
• Encourage your child to only chat to and webcam with people they know in the real world and that they understand why they need to protect personal information.
• Know how to report to the CEOP if you are concerned about someone’s online behaviour towards your child. Parents and children can report at the CEOP website (opens new window) or report at the thinkuknow website (opens new window).

Commonly asked questions about protecting children online – CEOP

I have heard and read a lot about the dangers to children when they are online. But whenever I ask my child what they are doing, they start to talk about online sites and services that I have never heard of. How, as a parent, can I help my child stay safe online?

It is not easy. More and more children are online all the time and many of these so-called ‘social networking sites’ are part of lives like never before. They use the internet to talk with their friends, share information, play games and a whole host of other fun things. But where children go it is a sad fact that sex offenders will follow. That is where the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre or CEOP for short can help. They are the police organisation focused on dealing with this problem and have free services to help parents. Visit the Parents section of the CEOP website (opens new window) to find out more.

My child spends a lot of time online and is 14 years old.  How would I know if they were being groomed?

There are some common signs to watch out for which may suggest that they are doing something or have got into something online that might be a problem. Are they using the computer in an excessive way? Do they want to go online at the same time every day or are they being secretive about what they are doing? All of this of course could be perfectly innocent but don’t take the chance. Speak to them. Explain to them the dangers and see what you can do together. Thinkuknow.co.uk is a site specifically for young people delivered by the police specialising in this area and is a good place to start for general advice and guidance.

My child came home from school and told me about a Thinkuknow session they had attended. It covered online safety and sounded good. How can I find out more?

Thinkuknow is a free education programme that is being shown to children and young people across the country showing them how to stay safe online. It is delivered by the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre who are part of the police and focused on cracking down on the dangers children face online from sex offenders. They have a website specifically for young people, called 'thinkuknow'. Visit the thinkuknow website (opens new window) and have a look at it with your child because it has lots of free and practical advice. As a parent, you may also want to have a look at CEOP’s free services for adults - for details, visit the CEOP website (opens new window).

What can I do if I find that my child has been sent something inappropriate online? Should I just delete it or do I email it to my local police station?

It is difficult to give general advice on what to do if you receive anything inappropriate, as forwarding it on could be a criminal offence in itself. The simple solution is to speak to your local police and ask them for advice, or speak to the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre – there is a reporting button on the CEOP website where you can talk to them direct, make a report or get specific advice.