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PARENT GUIDE · CYBER SAFETY

Keeping children safe online

The settings, habits and conversations that protect children online — and what to do when something goes wrong.

IN SHORT

Set up parental controls and private accounts, keep devices in shared spaces for younger children, teach them never to share passwords, location or photos with strangers, and make it safe for them to tell you when something online upsets them. Most problems get worse because a child was afraid to say.

Updated · Mayo International School, Patparganj, East Delhi

First step
Talk early and often
Devices
Shared spaces for younger children
Accounts
Private, strong passwords
Report cybercrime
cybercrime.gov.in · 1930

Set up devices

  • Turn on parental controls and age filters on phones, tablets, YouTube and game consoles
  • Keep social and gaming accounts private; turn off location sharing
  • Use a separate child profile, not a parent's logged-in device
  • Require a password before any app or in-app purchase

Teach these rules

  • Never share passwords, OTPs, home address, school name or location
  • Never send photos to someone you have only met online
  • Strangers in games and chats are strangers, however friendly
  • If a message, link or prize looks too good, it is a scam
  • Tell a parent or teacher about anything that feels wrong — you won't be in trouble

Cyberbullying

Watch for a child who goes quiet after using the phone, avoids school or deletes accounts. Don't take the device away as a punishment — it teaches children not to tell you. Save screenshots, block and report the account, and tell the school.

If something goes wrong

Report online fraud or abuse at cybercrime.gov.in or on the national helpline 1930. Keep screenshots and messages as evidence, and change passwords on the affected accounts.

How Mayo helps

Mayo runs cyber-safety workshops for students, alongside self-defence workshops, and teaches computer skills in two computer labs on the timetable.

Questions parents ask

How do I keep my child safe online?

Use parental controls and private accounts, keep devices in shared spaces for younger children, teach them never to share personal details or photos with strangers, and make it safe for them to tell you when something goes wrong.

Where do I report cybercrime in India?

At cybercrime.gov.in, or by calling the national cybercrime helpline 1930.

Sources

Rules change each year: check the official notice for your year. Mayo's own figures come from the school's records.

Questions about cyber safety?

Leave your number and the admissions team calls you back within one working day — seat status in your child’s class, the fee sheet and your nearest bus stop.

One call, no follow-up pressure. Your number is never shared.