Jessie and Friends - online safety education for 4-7 year olds

Jessie & Friends: online safety education for 4-7s

This series of three animations aims to give 4-7 year olds knowledge, skills and confidence to help them respond safely to risks they may encounter online.

Parents text content

Children are accessing technology and the internet at a younger age than ever before. It’s never too early to talk to your child about what they do online and who to tell if they come across anything online that makes them feel worried, scared or sad.

Jessie & Friends is a series of three animations that follow the adventures of Jessie, Tia and Mo as they begin to navigate the online world, watching videos, sharing pictures and playing games. There’s also a storybook for each episode, to help you and your child keep the conversation going.

The key message throughout Jessie and Friends is that if a child is ever worried by anything online, they should tell a grown-up they trust, who will help them.

Parents text content

The animations and additional classroom activities give children great opportunities to learn about trust, being kind online, consent, and healthy and unhealthy behaviour on the internet.

Here's what three parents had to say after watching Jessie & Friends with their children:

How you can use Jessie & Friends to help keep your child safer online

Before you watch Jessie & Friends with your child, here are a few things you can do: 

  • Explore together: Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps and what they do on them. Listen and show interest and encourage them to teach you the basics of the site or app.
  • Initiate (and continue) conversations about online safety: Ask them if anything ever bothers or worries them while they’re online. You could use examples of events from the animations and ask if they’ve experienced anything similar. Reinforce the key message: if anything happens online which makes them feel worried, scared or sad, the best thing to do is talk to you or another adult who they trust.
  • Help your child identify adults who can help: Help your child identify trusted adults from different areas of their life such as at home or at school.
  • Be non-judgemental: Explain that you would never blame them for anything that might happen online, and you will always give them calm and loving support.
  • Supervise your child while they’re online: Keep the devices your child uses in communal areas of the house such as in the living room or kitchen where an appropriate adult is able to supervise. It is not safe for 4-7 year olds to access the internet unsupervised in private spaces, such as alone in a bedroom or bathroom.
  • Talk to your child about how their online actions can affect others: If your child is engaging with others online remind them to consider how someone else might feel before they post or share something. If they are considering sharing a photo or video of somebody else, they should always ask permission first.
  • SafeSearch: The use of ‘SafeSearch’ is highly recommended for use with young children. Most web search engines will have a ‘SafeSearch’ function, which will allow you to limit the content your child is exposed to whilst online. Look out for the ‘Settings’ button on your web browser homepage (often shaped like a small cog). 
  • Parental controls: Make use of the parental controls available on your home broadband and any internet-enabled device  in  your home. You can learn more by reading our article on using parental controls.

Parents text content

What next?

You can watch the three Jessie & Friends animations and download the storybooks here.

Help spread the word! If you are unsure if your child’s school uses Thinkuknow resources,  download this letter making them aware of the free Jessie & Friends activities they can deliver in the classroom.