Parents are being urged to make internet security as high a priority for their children as road safety.
Child safety experts issued the call after a poll of mothers and fathers with youngsters aged eight to 13 suggested only one in five (19%) are frequently discussing how to stay safe online with their offspring.
A new animation featuring the voice of comedian Catherine Tate has been created as part of the Share Aware campaign being run by the NSPCC and O2.
Tate, a mother-of-one, said: “As a parent you teach your child how to cross the road and warn them about ‘stranger danger’ but it can be harder to know how to keep them safe online – especially when the speed with which new apps and games appear outwits even the best of us.
“The NSPCC and O2’s Share Aware campaign is a bit of a life-saver because it helps parents get to grips with all that Snapchatting, Whatsapping, and video-chatting and it makes chatting about their life online easy.
“It’s a simple guide on how to teach your child to stay safe online and it does all the hard work for you.”
Claire Lilley, head of child online safety at the NSPCC, said: “Parents are the first point of call for a child when it comes to staying safe in real life and this is no different when it comes to their online life.
“Talking to your child and exploring their online world with them is the best way to keep them safe, but it can be hard to keep up to speed with the internet and some topics can feel more difficult than others.”
