Mar 1st

Supporting Our Families With Online Safety

As part of our ongoing commitment to helping families support their children as they grow into confident and responsible digital citizens, we are sharing this month’s Online Safety Newsletter (March 2026).

Below is a clear and friendly summary of every item included—perfect if you’d like a quick overview before reading the full newsletter.

🌟 This Month’s Key Online Safety Topics

📱 Mobile Phones: Understanding the Risks

The newsletter highlights several risks children may encounter when using smartphones, including:

Access to inappropriate content
Excessive screen time, impacting mental health and sleep
Contact from inappropriate people
Cyberbullying
Unexpected spending through in‑app purchases or scams
A link is included to Compass’ research on the impact of mobile phones on children’s mental health.

📶 EE’s Age Guidance for Smartphone Use

EE have created clear age‑based advice to help families decide when and how to introduce smartphones:

Under 11: use a non‑smart device
Ages 11–13: if using a smartphone, switch on parental controls and limit social media
Ages 13–16: continue to use restrictions and monitoring

🤝 Smartphone‑Free Childhood Movement

This initiative encourages whole classes or groups of parents to delay giving smartphones.
By agreeing together, the pressure on children—and parents—is reduced.

📞 Choosing the Right Device

‘Which?’ provide a helpful guide to phones suitable for children when families feel ready. This includes both simple “dumb phones” and first smartphones.

📚 Read the Newsletter in Other Languages

The online version includes a translate tool at the bottom of the page so families can read the content in a language that suits them best.

🎮 Five Nights at Freddy’s – What Parents Should Know

This popular horror‑themed game includes jump‑scares and frightening characters.

PEGI rating: 12 (Xbox)
App Store rating: 13+
Merchandise can make it look child‑friendly, but the content may not be suitable.
Families are advised to preview the game first.

▶️ YouTube Safety Update: New Parental Controls

YouTube now lets parents:

Set time limits for Shorts (including setting to zero)
Add bedtime reminders
Enable “take a break” prompts

There is also guidance on supervised accounts and the settings available.

🔐 VPNs – What You Need to Know

VPNs can help protect privacy, but they can also allow children to:

Bypass parental controls
Access blocked or inappropriate sites
Hide their browsing history

The NSPCC provides a helpful explainer for parents.

🧠 Algorithms on Social Media

The newsletter explains how algorithms work and how they shape what children see online.
Benefits: relevant content, helpful suggestions
Risks:

Increased screen time
Exposure to inappropriate content
“Echo chambers” that reinforce one‑sided view.

🚨 New Government Campaign

A new national campaign supports parents in talking with their children about toxic or harmful online content. It includes safety settings, conversation starters and a simple quiz to help children spot unreliable information.

⏱️ Screen Time & Online Harms (RCPCH)

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health share a collection of resources to help families make healthy decisions about screen use.

🌈 Helping Our Children Love, Learn and Shine

At St Peter’s, we believe that supporting children to navigate the online world safely is part of helping them to Love, Learn and Shine—growing not just in knowledge, but in confidence, wellbeing and wisdom.

You can read the full March newsletter using the link at the bottom of the PDF.

Online Safety Newsletter March 2026

Posted In Notices, Safeguarding and Wellbeing

🛡️ Online Safety Monthly Update – March Round‑Up🛡️