Online Safety Advice & Tools for Parents
in partnership with Internet Matters
At Tesco Mobile, we care about human connection and that means helping families navigate the digital world safely.
That’s why we partnered with Internet Matters to create trusted online safety resources for parents, carers and teachers. Together, we’re supporting meaningful conversations and safer online experiences, so children can enjoy everything the digital world offers - smartly and safely
The Great British Phone Switch
In an exciting social experiment, we teamed up with Channel 4 and invited four parents and their tweens to switch phone habits for 48 hours and dive into each other’s digital worlds. Guided by clinical psychologist Dr Martha and host Anna Williamson our families will undergo a series of challenges to put their habits to the test.
Within the show the families come together in an open discussion about online safety, and complete their family pledge to help them live more balanced digital lives going forward.
Watch the series on Channel 4 Streaming or on Channel 4 YouTube., from Thursday 19th June 2025.
If you or your family have experienced any of the online safety issues highlighted on our Channel 4 series, we've got pulled together some helpful resources to support you:
Top tips for starting conversations about online safety .
We know it can be hard to find time to talk with your kids about the things that matter. For many of us, mealtimes are one of the few moments we have for a proper family chat.
That’s why we’ve created resources to help parents have more approachable and meaningful conversations about online safety during dinner.
Working with child psychologist Dr. Martha Deiros Collado and online safety experts Internet Matters, we’ve developed a range of simple, helpful questions for parents. Perfect for sparking discussions around the dinner table or wherever you feel most comfortable, they cover all the important topics – from gaming to social media.
Don't make a meal out of the online safety chat, download and start your conversation today.
Internet Safety by age
Online safety looks different at every age, and we’re here to help you navigate your child’s digital journey with confidence. At each stage, you'll see an example from our Little Digital Helps Toolkit, showcasing the advice and resources available to support your child's digital development.
Ages 0-5: Little explorers - starting safe
Ages 6-10: Learning and playing online
Ages 11-13: Social media and beyond
Ages 14+: Independent digital life
Vulnerable children online
Free online safety toolkit for parents and carers
In partnership with Internet Matters, we are providing the Little Digital Helps Toolkit. — a free, tailored online safety plan for parents and carers. It offers the latest guidance on setting up children’s devices, understanding the apps and sites they use, setting screen time limits, and developing healthy digital habits. Thousands of families are already using it to feel more confident and in control online.
Tailored online safety advice for your device
Using the internet and apps on mobile devices opens up a whole world of opportunities for children when it comes to learning, connecting and having fun. But as a parent or carer, how do you help them stay safe online?
Our Little Digital Helps Toolkit gives you everything you need to get started in the form of a bespoke online safety plan for your children's devices, which you can easily access on your own device, including via email (if you've provided your email address).
Simply by answering 9 quick questions about your children's digital habits, you'll unlock helpful resources and practical advice from the trusted experts at Internet Matters, tailored to your children's online safety needs. So you'll have the most relevant knowledge and up-to-date info to help keep your children safe online when they're using their devices.
Here are just some of the resources you’ll get:
- How-to guides to set up parental controls and privacy settings on popular apps and platforms
- Recommendations for digital tools to support your children's interests and wellbeing
- Info on how to tackle online safety worries
Children's Online Safety - Further Reading
We’re giving you a little help to stay safe online, together with Internet Matters
We now also sponsor ‘Digital Matters’. This is Internet Matters’ interactive platform that provides teachers with everything they need to teach online safety to 9-11 year-olds.
Digital Matters covers 8 key areas of online safety and media literacy across the curriculum areas. Each topic comes with a lesson pack of ready-to-go resources, including lesson plans, guides, slides, activities and handouts.
Teachers tell us Digital Matters’ resources are engaging, easy-to-use, and that they help them teach this fast-changing subject with confidence.
Design an online safety champion to win up to £7,500 for your school!
As part of our Digital Matters sponsorship with Internet Matters, we're inviting Year 5 and 6 teachers to take part in an exciting end-of-year competition!
Prizes to be won:
- 1st place: £7,500 donation (including £500 Tesco gift card)
- 2nd place: £5,000 donation (including £500 Tesco gift card)
- 3rd place: £2,500 donation (including £500 Tesco gift card)
Let’s inspire the next generation of online safety champions!
The competition has now closed, and we’re busy reviewing all the fantastic entries! Unfortunately, any submissions received after the closing date won’t be accepted. Keep your eyes peeled—we’ll be announcing the winners on 8th July!
We’re giving you a little help to stay safe online, together with Internet Matters
Previous winners
Congratulations to Castleview Primary School, the winners of our Autumn Term Digital Matters prize draw!
We had the pleasure of visiting the school to present their prize—30 Samsung Tablets.
We spent the day with Mrs Harris and her class to see what they think of the Digital Matters platform, and how they learn about staying safe online.
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We train all our colleagues to be online safety-savvy, so that safety is part of getting children a mobile phone right from the start.
When you speak to one of us at Tesco Mobile, we’ll be able to help with practical, up-to-date advice on the online safety topics that parents worry about most – such as how to set up parental controls on a new device.
Who are Internet Matters?
Internet Matters are a non-profit organisation at the forefront of practical help and research into children’s online safety.
Digital Matters is their platform that helps parents, carers and teachers stay on top of online safety as technology changes fast. As well as providing advice, support and encouragement, Internet Matters’ research also helped shape the government’s Online Safety Act.
Explore online safety resources at Internet Matters.
FAQs: Ask our experts about Internet Safety for Kids
All our phones are set by default to block access 18+ adult content. If you're the account holder and you want to access 18+ content you'll need to confirm your age. Once confirmed, you will be able to be able to turn on parent controls to restrict access to content suitable for under 12s.. You'll also be able to change your content settings at any time in your Account..
Find out more here.
For iPhone, parents can use the Screen Time feature in Settings to restrict particular content, apps and websites.
Bullying has changed and can now happen anywhere, anytime.. Help protect your child from the lasting effects of cyberbullying by learning how to help them deal with it.
- Take an active interest in their digital life from the start
- Set parental controls on broadband, devices, apps and platforms
- Learn as much as you can about cyberbullying
- Start having age-appropriate conversations early
- Encourage positive online experiences
- Talk about the consequences of what they say and do online
- Recognise bullying behaviours
- Know when and how to report those behaviours
Find out more about cyber bullying,
For quick safety set up on YouTube, prioritise these top parental controls.
- Create a Supervised account
- Manage screen time settings
- Restrict inappropriate content
For a step by step guide, find out more here
Our top tips for families to stay safe online:
- Set parental controls
- Understand phishing schemes
- Spot and report smishing attempts
- Protect yourself from online fraud
- Keep your data secure