Online Safety Advice for Early Years Settings

Online safety is highlighted within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Early Years Inspection Handbook. Children in early years settings are growing up in a digital world and will not know life without technology. This makes it essential that safe, healthy and age-appropriate online practices are embedded from the very start of a child’s journey.

Early Years settings, alongside parents and carers, play a vital role in helping children develop early awareness of online safety, boundaries where to seek help.

Young children may play online games and use apps. They are likely to interact with voice-activated household devices. They will grow up with knowledge of, or even have themselves, smart watches, tablets, televisions and phones and be able access content through shared family devices. This is currently being debated at parliamentary level so guidance for access to devices and social media for children may change. 

Technology is woven into everyday life, making it essential that early safeguarding strategies are proactive, not reactive, and responsible. 

Children in early years may be at risk from:

• Content (what they may see):

They may accidentally encounter inappropriate images or videos via search functions or voice commands. This could include distressing, frightening or confusing material. They may also access adverts or apps and make purchases leading to accidental spending. Without robust privacy and security settings, children may also unintentionally share personal information.

• Contact (who might communicate with them):

They may be contacted online by strangers or people they believe they know, including other children through games or messaging platforms. There may also come across individuals who groom, manipulate or exploit children and these people will deliberately look for them online. Behaviours can range from bullying and unkind behaviour to exposure to sexualised content, coercion, control and abuse.

• Conduct (how they might behave):

Due to natural curiosity, limited boundaries and undeveloped risk awareness, early years children may form inappropriate online attachments, use sexualised or adult language they do not understand and believe online contacts are genuine friends. They may share images, and personal information, or financial details unintentionally.

Children with SEND may be particularly vulnerable due to communication difficulties or reduced understanding of social boundaries.

Social Media and Professional Boundaries

Social media can present additional safeguarding risks for Early Years practitioners. Professional and personal boundaries can become blurred, with serious consequences.

Staff should be aware that online behaviour can impact the setting. They should inform the DSL of any pre-existing relationships with families, both in person and online. They should follow clear guidance on acceptable online conduct and boundaries and should always report online bullying or harassment. 

Settings should have clear policies covering the use of personal devices, wearables such as smart watches or other monitoring devices, phones and cameras. Settings should operate an Acceptable Technology Use Policy within the setting. The staff handbook should include staff conduct and communication, including social media.

Strategies for use in your setting

Early Years settings should:

• Always supervise children when using technology.
• Use setting-owned devices only and never use personal devices with the children or where the children are present.
• Check apps, websites and platforms against age ratings.
• Ensure privacy and security settings are set to the highest level.
• Set clear, age-appropriate screen time limits.
• Model safe, respectful online behaviour and language.
• Talk with children about staying safe and what to do if they feel worried.
• Explain how technology supports learning and development in an age appropriate way.
• Carry out regular checks of all devices. Recommended is at least monthly, if not more regular.
• Log use of all IT equipment and who accessed it.
• Communicate clearly with parents about online safety, provide them with advice and guidance on proper responsible use and security.
• Consider risks children may face at home, including exposure to radicalisation or other safeguarding concerns.
• Know where to seek advice and how to escalate concerns.
• Ensure online safety links clearly to the setting’s safeguarding policy, including mobile phone and camera use.
• Keep practice up to date through training, with staff refreshed at least annually and always when there is statutory guidance/policy updates.