Safer Internet Day 2025

The internet is amazing and can help us all to access information and entertainment. Spend time online with your child to understand how they are using technology and talk together about the good and the bad parts of being online. Talk about your own experiences and find other opportunities to get the conversation started, like stories in the news. Make sure your child knows they can talk to you about anything that they see or experience online.

The internet can be a tool used by criminals to target their victims, but a few simple steps can help keep you and your accounts secure. Use strong and separate passwords for online accounts and set up two step verification (2SV) where it’s available. You may also be able to set parental controls to prevent unwanted online purchases and limit children’s access to harmful content.

“It just seems too good to be true!” – Other common signs of a scam include contact that you weren’t expecting or being asked for money or personal information (think: bank or contact details, passwords, or phone numbers). Scammers use other tactics to manipulate their victims into paying, like playing with your emotions, or building a sense of urgency so you are rushed into making a decision. If you aren’t sure it’s reliable, don’t risk it.

Scammers are good at what they do and will target anyone. We all need to stay vigilant and support those who are most vulnerable including children and the elderly by helping them recognise what to look out for. If anyone in your family has been scammed, talk openly about it. There should be no shame in being victim to a scam and it’s never your fault.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a scam online, you’re not on your own. Help is available and you are not to blame for what has happened. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can report fraud and cyber crime online to Action Fraud or by telephoning 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland by calling 101. You may also be able to report via social media, if the scam has taken place there or to another relevant organisation, like your bank, if you think your account is at risk.

Remember, if you or anyone else is in immediate danger, call 999 immediately.

Spending time online together with family is an important learning experience for the youngest internet users. Not only will you both enjoy the quality time together, but you can supervise their usage and guide them to make the safest choices.

Help give your child the language to explain what they’re experiencing online by starting conversations about the internet and technology as early as possible. Talking regularly about what they love doing online, as well as any worries they may have , will help establish this habit and mean they’re more likely to come to you for help as they get older.

Parental controls and other safety settings can help protect your child from online harms, including scams. To avoid any nasty surprises on your bank statement, make sure in-app purchases or new downloads require a passcode, and don’t set card details to autofill on devices your child has access to.

If your child is too young to understand what fraud is, you can still lay the groundwork to help them stay safe online as they grow. Start simple and talk about the difference between real and make believe. Help them recognise that not everything online is true and that some things they see or hear could be stories, jokes or tricks.

The most important thing for your child to know is that you are always there to support them, online and offline. Encourage them to talk to you if anything they experience makes them feel worried or upset, and show them they can trust you to stay calm, listen and help make things better.

Ever seen something online that seems too good to be true? This probably means it can’t be trusted. If someone messages you out of the blue, or is asking for money or personal information, they may be trying to scam you.

Look out for these warning signs and ask a trusted adult if you think you’ve spotted a scam online.

Your password is like the key to your front door, you shouldn’t share it with other people.  Make sure to use a password that is hard to guess. It shouldn’t contain any personal information and is best when it’s a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.

Combining random words can help make more memorable passwords if you’re worried about forgetting it!

Personal information is all the details that could help someone work out who you are and includes your name, address, school, passwords and more. Sometimes you have to share your personal information, like when you’re setting up a new online account, but some people will also try to steal these details.

Never share your personal information with other players or users online, and don’t enter your details on websites or forms without speaking to a trusted adult first.

You may enjoy playing games online with other people, but remember that not everyone you chat with can be trusted. If you only know someone from the internet, make sure your chat stays on safe topics, like the game you’re playing together. If someone asks you to chat with them privately or on a different app, be careful as this could be a sign they’re trying to trick you.

If a player offers you an amazing trade, but won’t use the trade tool in the game, they may be trying to steal from you. Only trade in games using the official trading tools.

Being targeted by a scam is never your fault and it’s always okay to ask for help. Speak to trusted adults like your parents, grandparents, teachers, or club leaders if something goes wrong online or if you see something that you’re not sure about.

Remember, if you want to buy something online, you should always ask first to make sure you have permission and the money to do so!

Playing games online is lots of fun and one of the best ways to relax and spend time with friends. Young people often tell us how they like saving up or competing for the best items, skins and upgrades.

Trading with other players can be a helpful way to collect items you don’t already have or to progress in the game, but not every trade works out well! If you’re offered a trade, think about whether it’s a fair swap and how you’ll feel afterwards. Once the trade is made, you can’t take it back and you don’t want to be left feeling cheated.

Always make trades using the official in-game tools or functions. This means that you can see exactly what you’re trading and that both players in the trade have to stick to what they agreed.

If someone wants to trust trade with you, or asks you to trade outside of the game, this can be a sign of a scam. They may steal your item and not give you anything in return. It’s always safest not to trade in this way.

A little bit like fishing, phishing is when a scammer ‘hooks’ somebody in by pretending to be a company or organisation.

Have you ever had an email or text message that says it’s from a well-known company, but looks a bit weird? Maybe the email address is wrong, or you spot a spelling mistake in the message. These are phishing messages.

Phishing messages are trying to collect your personal information, like passwords, phone numbers, email addresses or bank details.  They might ask you directly for this information or they might ask you to click a link. The link will take you to a fake website or download a virus on to your device.

Phishing can happen through phone calls, emails, texts, messages in games, social media or fake websites. If you spot something you think might be phishing, tell a trusted adult and together you can report it.

Forward phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk

Forward phishing texts to 7726