Online safety is an integral part of safeguarding – by protecting children from harm and potential risks in the digital world, we can help ensure their well-being both online and offline.
An effective whole school approach to online safety, empowers schools ‘to protect and educate pupils, students, and staff in their use of technology and establishes mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and escalate any concerns where appropriate’ Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025, Department for Education (KCSIE, DfE).
To remain effective and compliant, the policy should be reviewed annually to reflect updated guidance, legislation, and the evolving digital landscape.
To support schools, the team at edtech charity LGfL-The National Grid for Learning updated its free Online Safety Policy Template. The template aligns with the latest requirements from KCSIE 2025, Teaching Online Safety in Schools, statutory RSHE guidance, and national guidance, and is designed to complement or integrate with the school’s Safeguarding Policy. It also includes the latest trends and risks that LGfL has observed across schools, together with additional content around generative AI (GenAI) and filtering and monitoring.
The rapid growth of GenAI brings exciting opportunities but also serious risks. Unfortunately, alongside creative and educational uses, plagiarism, misinformation, and unsafe text generation remain widespread. Thousands of sites host harmful or illegal material, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). AI ‘girlfriends’, unregulated therapy bots, and addictive chatbots promoting self-harm are easily accessible to children. Most concerning is the sharp rise in AI-generated sexualised images and deepfakes, which lead to blackmail, extortion and abuse. The Internet Watch Foundation warns that even children are misusing nudifying apps to target peers – and in the UK, all forms of CSAM, including AI-generated are illegal.
Beyond AI, online behaviour trends also pose risks. Children – many below the 13+ age threshold – spend up to three hours daily online, often on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. With over half of 3-12s using apps despite restrictions, many are giving fake ages, leaving them exposed to inappropriate and harmful content.
Even very young children are at risk with 25% of 3-4s owning a phone, rising to over 90% by the end of primary school. The vast majority of those online have safety controls or limitations, to prevent harm or access to inappropriate material.
However, the Internet Watch Foundation Annual Report found an increase in very young children being tricked into creating self-generated sexual content, while considered to be safely using devices in the home. And for the first time found more 7-10 year-olds than 11-13s visible in CSAM imagery. Anonymous chat platforms, stranger video chats, and limited parental supervision and awareness of these risks add further challenges.
With many students online despite age limits, schools require a holistic approach to address risks through education, best practice, and by supporting parents and carers to model safe behaviours.
LGfL’s Social Media Policy Template is also available to help support with online safety, along with Acceptable User Agreements (AUP) available by key stage, and adapted for pupils with SEND, with additional versions for staff, visitors, governors, volunteers and visitors. All are free, fully customisable, and downloadable at https://safepolicies.lgfl.net/.
A robust approach to online safety protects pupils, staff, and volunteers, while setting clear expectations for safe use of technology across the community. It’s not just about ticking boxes, but actively protecting children in a digital world that is constantly presenting new opportunities and risks.
