Key Stage 1 computing · Digital literacy and online safety

KS1 online safety: keeping personal information private

In Years 1 and 2, children are taught to use technology safely and respectfully and to keep personal information private. At this age that means simple, memorable rules: some things belong to you and your family, a username is not the same as your name, a password is a secret, and online we are as kind as we would be face to face. Most of the learning is through stories, role play and sorting games rather than screen time.

Keeping personal information private, explained

The National Curriculum asks Key Stage 1 pupils to use technology safely and respectfully and to keep personal information private. For five, six and seven year olds, “personal information” is made concrete: your full name, your address, your phone number, your birthday, the name of your school, where you go on holiday, and your passwords. Teachers often explain that a stranger who knows these things could find you, so we only share them with people we know and trust, and only when a grown-up says it is fine.

Schools usually teach this through sorting and role play. Children might be given cards (“my favourite colour”, “my home address”, “my pet’s name”, “my school”) and asked to place them in a “fine to share” pile or a “keep private” pile, then discuss the cards that could go either way. A pet’s name is a good example, because many people use it in passwords. A first name or a nickname is usually fine in a safe, grown-up-approved space, while a full name together with a school is not.

Usernames and passwords come up early. Children learn that a username for a game or a learning programme should not be their real name, and that a password is a secret that stays between them and the grown-ups who look after them. Some teachers use the idea of a toothbrush: you do not share it, even with a best friend. Children are also taught to ask a grown-up before they go online, to use devices in a family space rather than alone in a bedroom, and to ask before downloading or signing up for anything.

The respectful half of the objective matters just as much. Children are taught that people are real behind the screen, so the rules for kindness are the same online as in the playground. We ask permission before taking or sharing a photo of someone else, we do not say unkind things in messages or comments, and we tell a grown-up if something makes us feel uncomfortable. The related topic on where to go for help covers what children do when something does go wrong. Here the aim is prevention: building habits that make the right choice feel ordinary.

At home, your child will probably use a tablet or a family computer under your supervision, which is exactly right for this age. Many online services set a minimum age well above seven, and children of this age are not expected to manage accounts alone. A good approach is to treat online safety like road safety: calm, regular, repeated rules that you model yourself, rather than one big warning.

Words your child will hear

Personal information: Facts that could help someone identify or find you, such as your full name, address, school, phone number or birthday.
Private: Not shared with other people unless a trusted grown-up says it is fine.
Password: A secret code that only you and your grown-ups know, used to get into a device or account.
Username: A made-up name used on a game or website. It should not be your real name.
Online: Connected to the internet, for example when playing a game, watching a video or sending a message.
Trusted adult: A grown-up you know well and feel safe with, such as a parent, carer or teacher.
Respectful: Being kind and polite to other people, online just as much as in person.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 1 says:

Pupils should be taught to use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies
Aim: pupils are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: choosing a safe username

Your child is setting up a username for a children’s game, with your help. They suggest “EllaBrown_Oakfield_Yr2”. Is it a good choice?

Look at what the name tells a stranger. Ask your child to point out the clues: “Ella Brown” is a real full name, “Oakfield” is the name of the school, and “Yr2” says how old she is. Together those could help someone work out who she is and where to find her.
Sort the clues. Name the ones that belong in the “keep private” pile: full name, school, age or year group. These stay out of any username, however friendly the game seems.
Make a new name that tells nobody anything. Mix a colour, an animal or an object and a number that is not a birthday or house number, such as “BlueRocket47”. Check it does not include a real name, a pet’s name that is used in a password, or a place.
Talk about passwords at the same time. A password is a secret, so your child does not tell friends, even best friends. You, as the grown-up, keep a note of it somewhere safe.
Finish with the respectful side: “How will we be kind to other players?” Agree that you will ask before sharing any photo of other people, and that your child will come and tell you if anyone says something unkind or asks personal questions.

“EllaBrown_Oakfield_Yr2” is not a good choice because it shares a full name, a school and an age. “BlueRocket47” is a safer choice: it is made up, tells nobody who your child is or where they are, and the password stays a secret.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing only an address is private and a name is fine

Children hear “don’t tell people where you live” and assume everything else is harmless. A full name plus a school or a town can be enough for someone to find a child.

What helps: Practise sorting cards into “private” and “fine to share” together. Include tricky ones such as a school badge in a photo or a pet’s name, and talk about why each goes where it does.

Thinking a password is something you share with a best friend

Young children see sharing as a sign of friendship and may not realise a friend could get into their account or change it, even by accident.

What helps: Use the toothbrush idea: some things are only ours. Say clearly that parents and carers may know a child’s password, but friends never do, and that nobody online should ever ask for it.

Assuming the person in a game or video chat is who they say they are

At five to seven, children take things at face value. A friendly name and a cartoon picture feel like a child their own age.

What helps: Explain simply that online you can never be completely sure who someone is, so we only share personal things with people we know in real life. Keep play on devices in a shared space so you can see who is chatting.

Believing that being kind online is less important because nobody can see you

A screen removes the face and the reaction. Children may say things in a comment or message that they would never say to someone’s face.

What helps: Ask, “How would that feel if it was said to you?” and “Would you say it in the playground?” Praise kind messages as much as you notice unkind ones.

How to help at home

Sort the secrets. Write or draw ten things on pieces of paper (your child’s full name, favourite colour, address, pet’s name, school, favourite food) and sort them into “private” and “fine to share”. Talk about the ones that could go either way.
Invent a safe username. Take turns making up usernames from a colour, an animal and a number, and decide which ones give nothing away. It is quick, funny and sets a habit your child will use for years.
Keep screens in shared spaces. Where possible, use tablets and computers in the living room or kitchen with your child. You will notice what they are doing, and they learn that asking a grown-up before going online is simply what we do.
Role-play a stranger’s request. Pretend to be someone online asking, “What is your school called?” Let your child practise saying no, closing the screen and coming to tell you. Swap roles so they can play the grown-up.
Ask before you share. Before posting or sending a photo of your child, a friend or a sibling, ask permission out loud so your child sees you doing it. Children copy the habits they see.

Leads on to

Key Stage 2: Acceptable online behaviour
Key Stage 2: Reporting concerns online