Online Safety Blog

YouTube Go Live Together is a new feature from YouTube where users can host a livestream with another ‘guest’. YouTube have previously offered livestreaming services, the difference now is that users can livestream with each other virtually. As with the original livestreaming feature, Go Live Together is not available on YouTube kids and according to […]

Twitch is an extremely popular livestreaming platform used by gamers to watch others play games such as Among Us. There are paid and free versions and Twitch Prime is included with Amazon Prime subscriptions. Twitch is extremely popular and has around 31 million daily active users. Livestreaming is transmitting or receiving live video and audio coverage […]

Spotify is widely used by both adults and children to enjoy playlists and music. However, according to Spotify’s terms and conditions, users should be at least 13 years old. This is due to potential issues including explicit lyrics. In January, concerns were raised following reports of a child who was contacted and coerced on the […]

Amigo is an online platform that links people from around the world based on shared interests. It focuses heavily on one-to-one chat, video calls and live streams and even has built in translation software to remove language barriers. This app should not be used by children and there are many risks associated. First of all, […]

One of the main features of Apple’s latest iOS update is an improvement in parental controls. All iPhones from iPhone 8 can install this update. With the ‘Family Shaing’ feature, parents can set up preferences on their child’s device such as allotted screentime period, location sharing, and access to age-appropriate media. Children can also send […]

Using Downtime or Bedtime Mode on yours or your child’s devices is a useful way to ensure that devices are not used for too long and that they are not impacting on your child’s sleep. To schedule Downtime on your iOS device: open settings, scroll down and tap on Screen Time, select Downtime, tap the […]

PEGI, Pan European Game Information, is the legally enforceable games rating system in the UK and useful tool for parents to ensure their child is playing games suitable for their age. All games released in the UK will have one of the following PEGI age ratings on the packaging: 3, 7, 12, 16 or 18. […]

Snapchat is a picture sharing app, where users can share images with friends they have added and can also post pictures to their story for all their friends to see. Like many other social networks, the minimum age to use Snapchat is 13 years old and it can pose many risks. Primary school aged children […]

Parental controls help you to block or filter upsetting or inappropriate content, as well as to control purchases within apps. Below are the main places you can find parental controls (from childnet.com) . You could choose to use these individually, or even better, combine a number of them.  Internet provider: You can set up filters to help […]

Roblox is a popular platform used by many children, on which they can create, access and play games. It comes with several parental control options which you can find on the website. It is important to enter your child’s correct date of birth as this will automatically apply appropriate chat filters. You can also set […]