Online Safety Rules for Children Under 10: A Parents’ Guide

The best online safety rules for children under 10 are short and easy to remember: ask a Safe Adult before clicking, keep personal details private, use only approved apps, never chat privately with strangers, and stop, close it and tell if something feels wrong. Repeat them often and keep them kind.

Young children do not need complicated settings or long lectures. They need a few clear rules, a calm Safe Adult and a routine they can follow without thinking. This guide sets out eight rules, shows how to teach each one in plain words, and explains what to do when a rule gets broken.

What are online safety rules for children under 10?

Online safety rules are the small, repeated habits that tell a child what to do on screens: who to ask, what to keep private and what to do when something feels wrong. At this age, rules work best when they are the same at home and at school, and when children understand the reason behind them.

The aim is not to frighten children or to make them feel watched. It is to build safe habits early, while children still want to talk to you about what they do online.

Why do young children need clear rules?

Many children are online before they can read well. Ofcom’s 2025 report found that 41% of 6 to 7-year-olds and 63% of 8 to 9-year-olds play games online, so the rules need to be ready well before the teenage years.

The same report found that a third of 8 to 9-year-olds who play online games play with or against people they do not personally know, and 25% of them chat with people they do not know. That is why rules about strangers, messages and personal details matter early.

What are the eight simple rules?

Here are the eight rules at a glance. Post them on the fridge or by the family computer, and read them together.

How do you teach each rule?

Rule 1: Always ask a Safe Adult before downloading or clicking

Many tricks start with a click, such as a pop-up, a free prize or a message that looks like it is from a friend. Teach your child a simple pause: “If it is new, I ask first.” Make it easy to ask by answering calmly and quickly, so asking never feels like a nuisance. Our guide on how to teach children to spot fake messages explains the tricks to look out for.

Rule 2: Never share personal information

Explain that some things stay private online: full name, address, school, phone number, passwords and photos. Ofcom found that 67% of parents of 3 to 12-year-olds are concerned about their child giving personal details to people who could misuse them, so you are not alone in worrying. Practise with examples: “A game asks for your school. What do we do?” See our guide on personal information online for children for more.

Rule 3: Use only approved apps, games and videos

Agree a short list of apps, games and channels together, and add to it only after a Safe Adult has checked. Use child profiles and age-appropriate settings where they are available. Under the ICO’s Children’s code, online services likely to be used by children are expected to offer high privacy settings by default and to keep geolocation off by default, but not every service follows it fully, so check settings yourself.

Rule 4: No private messaging with strangers

A stranger online is anyone your child has not met and your family does not know, even if they seem friendly or share the same game. Teach one clear line: “We only chat with people our Safe Adult knows.” If a child is asked to move to a private chat, to keep a secret or to send a photo, that is a signal to stop and tell.

Rule 5: If something feels weird, stop, close it and tell

This is the most important rule. Children will meet something worrying at some point, and what matters is that they know what to do. Teach three steps: stop, close it, tell a Safe Adult. Practise it like a fire drill. Ofcom found that 33% of 8 to 17-year-olds had seen something worrying or nasty online in the past year, and 90% of 8 to 12-year-olds who did told someone. Make sure they tell you. Our guide on what to do if your child sees upsetting content online covers what to say when they do.

Rule 6: Screens stay in shared spaces

Keep tablets, consoles and computers in the living room, kitchen or another shared space, especially for younger children. It is not about spying. It means a Safe Adult is nearby to help when something confuses or upsets a child, and it makes asking feel natural.

Rule 7: Set a simple time boundary

A clear start and end to screen time prevents many arguments. Give a warning before time is up, agree what happens next, and use the same routine each day. Our guide on safe screen time boundaries explains how to do this calmly.

Rule 8: Be kind online

Children copy what they see, so teach them to speak online the way they would face to face. Ask, “Is it kind? Is it safe?” before they type or share. For ideas on talking about the unkind content they may see, read our guide on how to help children spot harmful online influences.

How do you make the rules stick?

Rules work when children feel part of them. Instead of announcing them, build them together and keep them simple.

• Write the rules together in your child’s own words, and let them draw a picture for each
• Keep the list short, so a child of 6 can say all eight rules from memory
• Display it where devices are used, and read it before screen time starts
• Review the rules every few months and add one only when it is needed
• Follow the rules yourself: children notice when adults check their phones at the table

Our guide on how to talk to your child about screen time has ideas for starting these conversations without a row.

What should you say, age by age?

Ages 5 to 7

Use very short phrases and lots of repetition: “Ask first. Keep it private. Stop, close it, tell.” Use pictures and songs, and practise with pretend examples. At this age, a Safe Adult should be close by whenever a child is online.

Ages 8 to 10

Older children can understand reasons. Explain that some people online pretend to be someone else, that apps want children’s attention and information, and that rules keep them in control. Give them questions to ask themselves, such as “Do I know this person?” and “Would I be happy for my Safe Adult to see this?”

What if your child breaks a rule?

Expect it to happen. Children test boundaries, and sometimes they click first and think later. What you do next decides whether they tell you the next time.

• Stay calm and thank them for telling you, if they did
• Ask what happened, and listen before you correct
• Fix the problem together, for example by blocking an account or changing a setting
• Remind them of the rule kindly and agree what will be different
• Keep any consequence short and linked to the rule

Avoid taking devices away for long periods. A child who fears losing their device is less likely to tell you about the next problem.

How can schools and parents work together?

Children learn rules fastest when home and school use the same words. Schools can teach the “stop, close it, tell” habit in class, keep a clear list of who to tell, and share the rules with parents. Parents can tell the school if a trend, game or message is spreading among children.

If you are a teacher or carer, the same eight rules work in a classroom, a club or a childminder’s home. Use the same wording so children hear one consistent message.

When should you ask for more support?

Most children need steady guidance, not specialist help. Speak to your child’s school or your GP if your child seems anxious about screens, is being targeted by others online, or keeps breaking rules in ways that put them at risk.

The NSPCC helpline for adults is on 0808 800 5000, and children can call Childline free on 0800 1111, which is open to under-19s. If you think a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

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Final Thoughts

Online safety for under-10s is built from small habits repeated calmly: ask first, keep it private, stay in shared spaces, and tell a Safe Adult when something feels wrong. You do not need perfect settings or technical knowledge. When your child knows the rules, knows why they matter and knows they will never be in trouble for telling you, they have the strongest protection there is.

Sources

• Ofcom, Children and parents: media use and attitudes report 2025, 7 May 2025
• Information Commissioner’s Office, Age appropriate design: a code of practice for online services (Children’s code), accessed 23 October 2026
• NSPCC, Online safety, accessed 23 October 2026