Online Safety Resources for Parents
This page contains a round-up of free online safety resources (including online porn) found on the internet. Some of these safety resources are for parents, and some are for children.
This list does not include internet safety or kid’s books to prevent porn exposure, as they can be found on a different page.
If you know of a resource that should be included, please do reach out and let me know!
You can find more helpful resources to help you with the porn talk, as well as internet safety, in my Pornography 101 page!
Let’s get started!
Find practical tools to educate kids about porn & internet safety in the Sex Ed Shop
Internet safety resources
Common Sense is a fantastic resource that wants to make the digital world safer for kids and families. Common Sense Media is their parent resource, where they review the latest movies, TV shows, books, games, podcasts, apps, and YouTube, as well as provide parent tips and an extensive selection of FAQs.
eSafety has advice for parents and carers to help kids stay safe online. There are too many resources here to mention, and it is an invaluable internet safety resource!
eSafety Kids is a website with information for 5 to 12 year old children about internet safety.
eSafety Young People has information to help teens stay safe online.
Free online safety picture book and song for children under the age of five. The Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 picture book and My Family Rules song encourage young children to be safe, be kind, ask for help and make good choices when they are online.
Kids Helpline has resources for kids aged 5 to 12 years about being safe on the internet, online gaming: is this bullying?, cyberbullying, knowing who to trust online, seeing scary stuff in the news, and more!
Kids Helpline has resources for teens aged 13 to 17 years about staying safe online, cyberbullying, online harassment, online gaming, and more!
raisingchildren.net.au has internet safety resources for parents sorted into the different age groups of children aged 2-5 years, for preschoolers, for school age children, for pre-teens, and teens. These lists are extensive and include cyberbullying, media literacy, social media, screen time, gaming and more!
Online pornography resources
BISH – A guide to sex love and you – A site for ages 14+ that provides some really interesting information about porn. A great place to learn more about what’s in porn WITHOUT actually having to watch any.
Breathless is a campaign to support people to understand the dangers and impacts of sexual strangulation.
Childline – Online Porn – Age-appropriate Information from the UK for ages 12+ on what porn is (fantasy vs reality), how porn can make you feel, pressure to watch porn in a relationship, how to tell if you are watching too much porn, and tips on how to stop watching porn.
Culture Reframed – They have good information for parents on how to talk to their child or teen about porn. Their COMPOSE model for how to respond when your child has already seen model is excellent.
Go Ask Alice – An American site that provides answers for teens (and even parents) about sex. It aims to provide reliable, accurate, accessible, and culturally competent information so that teens and young adults can make informed decisions about sex. It has lots of information about porn.
In the Know – A New Zealand site by The Light Project that answers questions or concerns about porn, nudes, rough sex, choking, ‘porn addiction’ or online sexual experiences. This site is fantastic and will also give parents ideas on what to talk about.
It’s Time we Talked – An Australian site that aims to get people talking about pornography and its impact on young people, and there is content for parents and young people (14+).
Kids Helpline – An Australian site that has some good content for teens about why people view porn, what porn can and can’t teach us, and what can happen if you watch it a lot. I really like this site as it is filled with educational information that is written for kids (5-12 years), teens (13-17 years), and young adults (18-25 years).
Love is Respect – An Australian site with great info for 13-26 year olds about dating, healthy relationships, personal safety and more. They do have good info on revenge porn and what to do if your partner is blackmailing you.
NSPCC – A UK site with information for parents on how to talk to young children and teens about porn.
Parent Info (from CEOP and Parent Zone) – A UK site that provides some quite simple but good information on how to talk to kids about porn.
Porn is Not the Norm – An Australian site that is designed to support parents of autistic young people to understand the interactions between autism, sexuality, technology and pornography. As well as they can support autistic young people to navigate respectful, consenting and safe sexuality and relationships. They have an instant-access online parent and carer presentation that is immediately available, but you will need to pay for it (sorry, but it’s not free). They also have good information sheets and tip sheets to look at!
The effects of pornography on children and young people – An evidence scan – (December 2017) An Australian report that looks at how pornography shapes young people’s sexual experiences.
Facts of Porn. It’s not a pro-porn website, and they recognise that pornography use may be problematic for some individuals. It’s a neutral, nuanced and scientifically informed website, with no hidden religiosity, collecting the appropriate studies to offer some balance in thinking critically about pornography.
The Light Project – A New Zealand site that aims to get parents talking to their children and teens about porn. This would have to be my most favourite resource for parents about porn.
The Line – An Australian site that helps young people (14+) have healthy, happy and respectful relationships and avoid behaviours that hurt, intimidate or diminish others. Their pornography section is written for parents and is fantastic!
Think U Know – A UK site for ages 5-7, 8-10, 11-13 and 14+ (and parents) that provides lots of information about sex. Porn is talked about.
What’s OK? – An American site that is both a website and a helpline that offers free, confidential support and resources to youth and young adults (ages 14-21) with concerns about their own or a friend’s sexual thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This site gives them answers to questions they would usually be too ashamed to ask. Like, is this normal behaviour, what if my sexual behaviours have harmed someone, I’m worried about my attractions, and more.
If you want to know why I don’t share antiporn sites like Your Brain on Porn and Fight the New Drug, then read this article as it explains why.
Looking for more porn & internet safety resources? Then visit my Porn 101 page!
Online grooming resources
Kids Helpline has an online grooming resource for 5 to 12 years about knowing who to trust online. They also have a resource for 13 to 17 year olds about online grooming, that explains how it happens and how to steer clear of it.
Think U Know is a government funded educational program to prevent online child sexual exploitation. You will find activities, videos, and a picture book and for children aged under 5, 5 to 12 years and 13+ years.
Jack Changes the Game by Tess Rowley (the author of Everyone Has a Bottom) is a free downloadable picture book that was written to help keep children safe online and to prevent online child sexual exploitation. It is designed to be read to five to eight-year-old children by parents, carers and educators.
I don’t have a list of children’s books about grooming, and the only one I am aware of is the free online book, Jack Changes the Game by Tess Rowley.
No Escape Room is a site from the USA about sexual extortion and how easy it is for teens to get tracked. Experience what it feels like to get caught in sexual extortion.
National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children has good information on sextortion and what to do.
Sexting Resources (or sending nudes)
Childline – A UK site with some really good information about sexting and what to do if you’ve already shared a photo.
How to practice safe sexting – TED talk by Amy Adele Hasinoff who suggests that we need to approach sexting differently, putting our energy into ensuring our kids do it safely instead of trying to stop them (which is a waste of time).
Sexting: early conversations with children 6-11 years – An Australian article from Raising Children, about how to start talking about sexting.
Sexting and selfies tips – Tips from the UK site, Brook Sexual Health, with things to think about before you press ‘send’ on an image.
What Parents Need to Know About Digital Consent. Parenting expert, Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, discusses digital consent and how parents can talk to their teens about giving and getting consent over the internet and text messages. As Dr. Rosenzweig writes, “You can’t keep someone from asking your child for a nude selfie or prevent your child from asking for one. But you can help your child understand the risks and make a sensible decision when temptation arises.”
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes – Advice for parents from the NSPCC in the UK on the risks and how to support a child if they’ve been sharing, sending and receiving nudes.
Sexting: Talking with teenagers – Info from Raising Children in Australia that is relevant for parents of 12-18 year old children.
Sexting: early conversations with children 6-11 years – Info from Raising Children in Australia that is relevant for parents of 6-11 year old children.
Receiving unwanted nudes – Info from the eSafety Commissioner in Australia for teenagers on what to do with unwanted nude pictures. Plus what to do if your nudes have been shared, if someone is threatening to share your nudes, or if someone is pressuring you to send nudes.
Sexting resource for teens – KidsHelpline in Australia has a resource for 13-17 year olds on sexting. Plus, another resource for teens on revenge-porn.
More porn & internet safety resources
My Internet Safety Rules! Poster Set will help protect your children by instilling basic rules to save them from making common mistakes. They’re basic guidelines about interacting with people (only those we already know), taking pictures (after asking permission), and trying new apps or games (only after checking with you first). Put up one poster or more, familiarise yourself with the rules, and regularly remind your children about them. They’ll become engrained throughout the family and offer valuable protection around the kids while they’re safely exploring the digital world.
My Online Safety Activity Pack introduces the basic “rules” for online safety… and the best part is that most kids won’t even know they’re learning! It’s a printable activity book to keep your kids safe online and be smart with screen time.
My Tech Check Workbook (for parents) will help you do a step-by-step check on every device in your house. It’s designed to reduce the overwhelm you may feel about this task!
You can find more resources about online porn in the Sex Ed Shop! You’ll find my Porn Safety Rules! Poster Set for teaching kids how to respond when exposed to porn (as it will happen). If you’re ready to talk about porn, then grab my crash course, Getting Started with the Porn Talk, or this one, Help! My Child has Seen Porn, if they’re already viewing porn. And if you’re worried about answering their questions, then grab the Porn Talk Q&A Book, as it has child-friendly answers to over 150 questions kids have about porn.
I hope that helps you with talking to your child!
Happy talking!
❤️ Cath