LEADING?children’s charity the NSPCC and O2 have urged parents to make online safety a priority if their children received smartphones, tablets or game consoles over Christmas.

The advice comes as a survey of 442 parents, from across the UK, of five to10 year olds found 46 per cent don’t have parental controls set up on internet-enabled devices used by their children and only 30 per cent have them installed through their home broadband.

Overall, just 29 per cent said they were confident that the online parental controls they had in place for their children were sufficient.

The NSPCC and O2 joined forces in 2015 with the specific aim of helping parents keep their children safe online.

The partnership now offers advice to parents through Net Aware (net-aware.org.uk), the Icebreaker e-mail series, and the online safety helpline.

Parents can also book an appointment with an O2 adviser to get tips on keeping children safe online or setting up parental controls.

Tony Stower, head of child safety online at the NSPCC, said: “The online world can be full of fun and wonder for children, and no doubt tablets, smartphones and games consoles will have featured on many Christmas lists this year.

“But the internet is not without its risks for children who can stumble across inappropriate content or even become victims of online abuse.

“That’s why it’s vital that every parent who has bought an internet-connected device at Christmas sets up parental controls to help protect their children from online risks.

“It’s also a good idea for parents to have regular conversations with their children about staying safe online and how to report something that upsets them.”

Stephanie McNamee, O2 NSPCC helpline agent said: “With many children getting their hands on new technology over the festive period it’s a great time to set up some parental controls.

“Parents can use controls to block upsetting or harmful content, manage in-app purchases or how long children spend online.

“It may feel daunting but parents don’t need to be technical experts as controls are easy to set up and help is available to get started.

“If you’re not sure where to start, experts from the O2 NSPCC helpline can help.”

For help on a specific issue, call 0808 800 5002.