Strengthen access
Use unique passwords, a reputable password manager and multi-factor authentication, starting with email and financial accounts.
BASTIONHOST / PEOPLE & FAMILIES
PEOPLE & FAMILIES
Online safety at home starts with calm, repeatable habits.
As a parent of young children, online safety is personal to me. It can feel like a minefield, so I try to make unfamiliar risks easier to understand and turn them into practical steps families can use at home.
CHILD & FAMILY GUIDES
Choose the part of family life you need help with.
Each guide explains a sensible baseline, how to test it, the limits of the control and the family habits that make the technology more effective.
01
Apps, accounts & devices
Set safer defaults on the services and screens children use directly.
GUIDE 01
YouTube & YouTube Kids
Choose the right experience, restrict discovery, review what appears and create a safe way for children to tell you when content feels wrong.
Read the YouTube safety guide →GUIDE 02Android Family Link
Set up supervision, screen time, apps, permissions and location in a way that supports family rules rather than replacing them.
Read the Family Link guide →GUIDE 03iPhone & iPad
Create the right child account, protect Screen Time, approve apps and purchases, restrict unsuitable content and test the finished setup.
Read the Apple family guide →GUIDE 08Apple Screen Time
Set Downtime, App Limits, Always Allowed, activity reports and extra-time requests. Make sure the controls really block when intended.
Read the Screen Time guide →GUIDE 04Google SafeSearch
Enforce filtered results, close common account and browser gaps, test the setup and understand what SafeSearch cannot cover.
Read the SafeSearch guide →GUIDE 09Minecraft parental controls
Use the right child account, decide when multiplayer is appropriate, limit communication and spending, and test the finished setup in the game.
Read the Minecraft family guide →02
Story companion guides
Turn a story's safety message into an account setting, a tested control and a family rule.
STORY GUIDE 01
Safer game chat
Limit unknown contact, protect real-life information and practise blocking, reporting and telling.
Read the game chat guide →STORY GUIDE 02Child spending and purchases
Put adult approval between a child and paid apps, in-game currency, subscriptions and free trials.
Read the spending guide →STORY GUIDE 03Screen-time routines
Agree the stopping point, support it with device limits and test what the child actually sees.
Read the screen-time guide →STORY GUIDE 04Pop-ups and misleading adverts
Block common interruptions and teach one calm response to false warnings, prizes and countdowns.
Read the pop-up guide →STORY GUIDE 05Mean comments and online bullying
Put the child first, keep useful evidence and know when a block button is not enough.
Read the bullying guide →STORY GUIDE 06Photo privacy
Check backgrounds, location, people and audience before a picture reveals more than intended.
Read the photo guide →STORY GUIDE 07Unsafe contact and secret chats
Recognise secrecy and personal pressure, preserve what is safe and use the right UK help route.
Read the unsafe-contact guide →STORY GUIDE 08Voice assistants
Limit purchases, calls and linked services, then teach children that a confident answer can still be wrong.
Read the voice-assistant guide →STORY GUIDE 09Gaming scams and account security
Protect the linked email and game account before a free-currency offer or false warning appears.
Read the gaming-scam guide →STORY GUIDE 10A child's first phone
Start with a child account, the smallest useful set of features and a two-sided family promise.
Read the first-phone guide →03
Home Wi-Fi & schedules
Group child devices, create predictable offline periods and configure the router families actually own.
GUIDE 05
Wi-Fi Schedules
Plan bedtime and homework limits, group every child device, protect essential equipment and test the finished routine.
Read the general Wi-Fi guide →GUIDE 06UniFi Controls
Apply content filters, SafeSearch, application policies and scheduled internet blocks to child devices or networks.
Read the UniFi guide →GUIDE 07TP-Link Deco & Archer
Choose the correct app, create child profiles, schedule offline periods and troubleshoot model-specific controls.
Read the TP-Link guide →ADULT ONLINE SAFETY
Protect the accounts that unlock everything else.
Online safety is not only about children. Adults are targeted through urgency, impersonation, weak recovery routes and the reuse of personal information.
Slow down urgency
Pause before moving money, sharing codes or granting access. Verify requests through a separate, trusted route.
Prepare recovery
Keep devices updated, review account recovery details and maintain backups that can be restored after loss or compromise.
FAMILY PRINCIPLES
Controls work better when children understand the reason.
Conversation before surveillance
Explain the risk, the control and what trust looks like at the child’s current age.
Shared-screen first
Explore new apps, channels and games together before they become private, habitual spaces.
No punishment for reporting
Make it safe to bring a mistake, message or upsetting video to an adult without losing access by default.
Review as they grow
Settings, maturity and risks change. Revisit boundaries together instead of configuring them once and forgetting them.
HELP IMPROVE THE GUIDES
Is there a family topic I should cover next?
If a guide is unclear or there is a practical topic you would like to see explained, you can suggest it. Please do not use this form for safeguarding disclosures or urgent support.
Suggest a guide topic →