Products & Offers
7th February 2023

‘Together for a better Internet’

As a national Full Fibre broadband provider, we connect people of all ages, ethnicities, and demographics across the UK. Whether staying in touch with friends and family, gaming or streaming, taking part in online learning or working from home, it’s essential we contribute towards a positive online experience for everyone, particularly children and young adults.

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way that we view and use technology, it allowed the world to stay connected during a difficult and isolating time. As a result, children have had greater access to the Internet, and are now largely accustomed to the digital era we live in today. With an increase in usage amongst the younger population, it’s important to work together to ensure their online experience is as positive and safe as possible.

 

Ready to play a part in creating a safer Internet? Here’s 8 things you can do to ensure the young people in your life are safe online:

1. Keep personal information professional and limited
2. Keep your privacy settings on – You can change your privacy preferences in your general device settings, this will ensure that you have control over the information third parties collect.
3. Practice safe browsing – Make sure there is a padlock icon in the search bar at the top of the page (or the bottom on mobile), this means the website is secure.
4. Make sure your Internet connection is secure – You can check that your connection is secure by looking at the title if there is WEP or WPA2 at the front of it, it will be secure, this prevents cyber criminals from getting access to your data.
5. Be careful what you download – Downloading unsafe documents or videos can increase your risk of viruses, which allow other devices to gain access to your personal information. Make sure you check downloads are from secure websites and don’t ignore any warnings that may pop up!
6. Choose strong passwords – The longer the password, the better. Use a variety of lower case and upper-case letters, numbers, and special characters, and avoid using personal information or associated words in your password.
7. Be careful what you post – Bear in mind that whatever you post can be accessed by millions of people and can be traceable even if you think you’ve deleted it.
8. Communicate openly with children and young adults – Be transparent about the risk of harmful content, comments, and explicit images online.

As parents, siblings, teachers, colleagues, aunts, or uncles, it’s our duty to recognise the impact our online content can have on younger, more easily influenced audiences. This theme, of working ‘together for a better Internet’, provides an opportunity to promote enhanced security measures at home, and create a positive and safe online environment for all.

Find out more on the Safer Internet Day Website.