A guide for parents, carers, and family members
This information is for parents, caregivers and family members and it offers guidance on understanding the benefits and risks of online use, how to talk to your child about their online activity and how to direct them to safe spaces for support.
We know talking about this isn’t always easy and we want to help you feel more comfortable having conversations and making decisions that are right for you and your family.
What can I do?
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Help them understand the benefits and risks.
Although your child may know about different sites and technologies, they may be less aware of the benefits and risks (to them or to others).
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Help them manage what they see online.
Remind them they can unfollow, mute, hide or block content that they find unhelpful. Encourage them to fill their feeds with positive content.
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Check they know how to report content that worries them.
If they see anything online that worries them encourage them to speak to someone they trust and report the content to the site. See the Samaritans guidance on reporting content for further information.
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Help them look after themselves.
Suggest they take a break from their device if what they are seeing online is affecting how they feel.
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Help them post safely.
See the Samaritans top tips about sharing your experiences of self-harm and suicide online for more information.
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Direct them to safer online spaces to find support.
If they want to explore options for support online, you could suggest:- Side by Side from Mind is an online peer support community for over 18s.
- Mind also have lots of online information about mental health and support options.
- Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall) – online community accessible 24/7.
- Shout is a free text support service available 24 hours a day. You can start a conversation by simply texting ‘Shout’ to 85258.
- Samaritans’ self-help app to help keep track of how you’re feeling and for recommendations on things you can do to help you cope.
- The Mix offer support for people under 25 years old via discussion boards, online chat and online counselling.
- Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community for young people where you can find online support and counselling.
- Alumina (previously Self Harm UK) provides a free 7-week online course for young people aged 11-19 years old experiencing self-harm.
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Encourage them to reach out to other available support.
If they don’t feel comfortable talking to you, remind them of other trusted adults or online and offline services who can support them, such as their GP or local support services. To explore support in your local area, visit the Hub of Hope website.
What could I ask?
These questions can help you and your child think about their online use.
- What are your favourite things to do online?
- What sites do you like to look at? How do they make you feel?
- What kind of accounts do you like to follow on Instagram/TikTok etc? Why? What kind of things do they post?
- Do you feel better or worse after seeing that or is it hard to tell?
- Have you come across anything that has made you feel uncomfortable or upset? What would you do if you did?
- Who would you tell if you were worried about what someone was doing or saying online?
- How do you know when you need to take a break or spend some time offline?
- Is there anything online that makes you feel more positive or hopeful?
