Preparing for young adulthood
For many parents of teens and young adults it can feel that your child knows more about digital devices and online spaces than you do.
However, they can need just as much support as at any other stage of their life and its never too late to help them.
Learn about the actions you can take to support your child as they use digital devices during their teenage years.
On this page
- Talk to your child about online safety
- Set up parental controls
- Find out where to get support
- Know where to report something
Did you know?
A 2024 report by Policy Exchange showed that a third of children are spending 35 hours online per week.
Almost the same number of hours as a full-time job.
1. Talk to your child about being safe online
Talking to your child about online safety and how they can use digital devices can help you both understand the rules that are there to protect them and why they matter.
Having conversations with your child can help build trust and make them feel safe to come to you if they are worried or if something happens that makes them feel unsafe.
It can also help their wellbeing and promote healthy digital behaviours as they become adults.
2. Set up parental controls
Parental controls can stop your child from seeing content that could put them at risk of harm.
This might look like:
- putting controls on the devices your child has access to
- only allowing your child to use a device at certain times of the day
As your child gets older or has new devices, it’s important to check that the parental controls you use still work or are still needed.
For many teenagers and young adults, being online is an important part of their life. It helps them stay connected and improves their wellbeing, just like other activities they enjoy. For your child there might not be much difference between their life online and offline.
When you think about using parental controls, it helps to understand how important these online spaces are to your child.
Did you know?
Ofcom research in 2024, says that 26% of 13 to 15 year olds play games online with someone they don’t know or haven’t met in person.
3. Find out where to get support
You might need help or extra information to guide your child when they use digital devices or go online.
Some of the different ways you can get support include:
- using a helpline to get expert advice
- knowing what your child is being taught about online safety in school
- attending a talk or online course
4. Know where to report something
Sometimes things happen online that upset your child or put them in danger.
It’s important to understand that the problem might not have been caused by your child. But even if it is, they have come to you for help because they trust you and need your support.
Remember to:
- keep calm and listen
- ask questions to understand what has happened
- try not to blame them for the situation
- reassure them that you will solve the problem together
If the problem is serious and puts your child in danger, you should act quickly to stop it or report it.
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