Here are some useful Tips that may help when thinking about keeping yourself and your family safe on the internet. Use them when talking to your child about how to keep safe.

1. Lock down your Facebook page. Make sure your profile is only shown to your friends - not their friends too and certainly not the whole world! It's good to check your privacy settings regularly, because Facebook often updates them.
2. If you don't know someone on Facebook, don't be tempted to accept their 'Friend' request.
3. Don't post anything anywhere on the internet of you don't want the world to see it. Once you've uploaded something, you cannot be sure that it will stay with just the person you've sent it to. So if it's private, don't share it!
4. Never give out your address, unless its absolutely necessary (eg. when requesting a delivery).
5. Make sure you password protect your phone or any other device you use. And lock it down when you're not using it.
6. Don't click on suspicious looking links. Children, check with an adult or teacher if you think it looks strange.
7. If your friend has sent you a message but it looks weird, or isn't something they'd usually say, check with them before you open it. It could be that someone is using their account to send messages which could be infected with something nasty.
8. Always log out! Make sure you don't leave any account open when you go away from your computer, phone or other device.
9. Follow these password rules:

• Never choose passwords that are real words you'd find in a dictionary. Use a mixture of upper and lower case letters, swap letters for numbers and use symbols like % and £ too.
• Make your password as long as possible. The longer it is the harder it is to crack.
• Be creative! Never just use the name of your favourite sports team or band, or your pet's name.
• Use a different password for each website you use. If you struggle to remember them, you can use online 'password management' software to save them for you. But remember to make your master password VERY hard to crack!
• Don't save your password to your computer if you share it with anyone. And never give anyone your password. Not even your best friend. It's not silly to keep your password to yourself, it's safe!

And finally, if it doesn't look right, speak up! If you think something is suspicious or if you see something upsetting online, tell a parent or teacher, or report it to the website you're trying to use.

For further information, visit the sites in the sidebar!