Digital technology is now an ordinary part of young children’s lives. From watching videos and listening to songs to using apps, taking photographs, communicating with family members and interacting with digital toys, children are encountering technology from their earliest years.

For early years professionals, this means that online safety is no longer something that sits outside the curriculum or safeguarding practice. It is part of helping children understand and navigate the world in which they are growing up.

The revised 2026 edition of Birth to 5 Matters recognises this changing landscape by introducing a dedicated section on Digital Pedagogy. The guidance emphasises that effective digital pedagogy should be led by what children will learn and experience, rather than by the technology itself. It also highlights the importance of the adult’s role, the quality of the experience, inclusion and partnership with families.

This creates an important message for the sector:

The question is not simply whether young children should use technology, but how we can ensure that when they do, it is purposeful, safe, appropriate and enriching.

Young children are increasingly accessing the online world

The digital experiences of young children are changing rapidly.

The Department for Education’s Help for early years providers guidance reports that 85% of children aged 3 to 4 use apps such as YouTube, based on Ofcom’s 2024 research. Young children are increasingly watching video-on-demand content, including cartoons, songs and short films, rather than relying solely on traditional television.

Although online gaming is less common among 3- to 4-year-olds than among older children, this does not mean that very young children are outside the digital world.

They may be:

watching videos on a tablet or smart television
using streaming services
playing age-appropriate games and apps
using voice-activated devices
interacting with digital toys
looking at photographs and videos
communicating with relatives through video calls
using technology to support communication or additional needs
encountering online content while an older sibling is using a device
being exposed to advertising, recommendations or algorithm-driven content.

Consequently, online safety needs to begin in the early years.

What does internet safety mean for an early years child?

Online safety can feel like a complex concept when working with babies, toddlers and young children.

However, at this age it is less about expecting children to independently manage online risks and much more about building the foundations for safe and healthy digital behaviours.

Children can begin to develop simple understandings such as:

asking an adult before using a device
understanding that some things on a screen are not suitable for children
knowing that they should tell a trusted adult if something worries or frightens them
understanding that photographs should be taken with permission
beginning to understand privacy
recognising that not everything they see online is real
learning that technology should be used safely and respectfully
understanding that screens are one part of their experiences rather than the whole experience.

For young children, these concepts need to be introduced through everyday conversations, modelling, play and relationships, rather than formal lessons.

Digital pedagogy: technology should have a purpose

One of the most important messages from the revised Birth to 5 Matters Digital Pedagogy guidance is that practitioners should start with the learning experience, not the device.

Before introducing a tablet, interactive screen, camera, app or digital resource, practitioners should consider:

What will the child learn or experience?

Technology should add something meaningful to the experience.

For example, a practitioner might use a tablet to:

photograph a child’s construction so they can revisit and talk about it
investigate an animal that the children have been discussing
listen to a piece of music from another culture
support children to record their own storytelling
explore sounds and language
access assistive technology that supports communication
investigate something that cannot easily be experienced directly.

Birth to 5 Matters encourages practitioners to consider an important question:

“What is this digital experience replacing?”

If a child could achieve the same learning through rich interaction, physical exploration, conversation, books, creative experiences or outdoor play, practitioners should consider whether technology is actually necessary.

This is not about rejecting technology. It is about using it intentionally.

The quality of the experience depends on how, when and with whom technology is used, with the adult’s role being particularly important.

Adult co-engagement is essential

One of the strongest messages within current DfE guidance is that young children should not access screens alone.

The DfE advises that children should not use screens alone or with other children without adult co-engagement. Practitioners should view screens alongside children both to reduce exposure to harmful content and to support children’s learning and development.

This changes the role of the practitioner.

Rather than handing a child a tablet and stepping away, the adult becomes an active participant.

For example:

Instead of:
“Here’s the tablet. You can find a dinosaur video.”

Try:
“Let’s find out about dinosaurs together. What do you already know? What shall we look for?”

The practitioner can then:

model safe searching
ask questions
introduce new vocabulary
challenge children’s thinking
notice children’s responses
identify unsuitable content
encourage children to question what they see
connect digital experiences to real-world experiences.

This is digital pedagogy in practice.

Understanding the risks

Online safety should form part of the setting’s wider safeguarding culture.

UK Council for Internet Safety guidance identifies risks for young children relating to content, contact and conduct. These include exposure to inappropriate videos or images, accidental sharing of personal information, inappropriate communication, unhealthy screen behaviours and exposure to inappropriate language or behaviour.

Content – what children might see

Children may encounter:

inappropriate videos or images
frightening or upsetting material
unsuitable advertising
misleading information
inappropriate language
violent or sexualised content
unsuitable search results
algorithm-generated recommendations.

Contact – who children might interact with

Depending on the technology being used, children could potentially interact with:

strangers
people they know
other players
people through video or messaging functions.

Conduct – how children behave online

Children may also begin to develop behaviours around technology that require adult guidance, such as:

excluding others from digital play
using unkind language
copying inappropriate behaviour
developing unhealthy screen habits
sharing photographs without understanding privacy
experimenting with technology in ways that could create safeguarding concerns.

The risks may look different for a three-year-old compared with an older child, but the safeguarding principle remains the same: adults need to understand the technology children are using and provide appropriate supervision and protection.

Safe technology starts with safe settings

Practitioners should never assume that an app or website is safe simply because it is marketed as being educational or suitable for children.

The DfE’s current screen-use guidance recommends that digital content used with young children should be checked beforehand and should be safe, age-appropriate, advert-free and free from scrolling and autoplay features. Fast-paced and overstimulating content should also be avoided.

This means that settings should consider:

Before using an app or website

Ask:

Is it genuinely appropriate for under-fives?
What happens when the activity finishes?
Does it contain adverts?
Does it automatically play another video?
Can children access other content?
Does it require children to enter personal information?
Does it collect data?
Are there chat or messaging functions?
Is there in-app purchasing?
Is the content calm, predictable and developmentally appropriate?
Does it support a clearly identified learning intention?

“It’s educational” is not enough.

Practitioners need to apply their professional judgement.

Filtering and monitoring are part of safeguarding

Technology within an early years setting should be appropriately secured.

Managers should understand:

what devices are being used
who has access to them
whether they connect to the internet
how the network is protected
whether appropriate filtering is in place
how passwords and screen locks are managed
how devices are stored
how personal data is protected
how photographs and videos are managed
how online learning journals are used
how staff use personal devices.

UKCIS guidance specifically highlights the need for appropriate filtering and monitoring, secure devices and networks, effective management of personal data and staff understanding of safe technology use.

This should not simply exist on paper.

Leaders need to be able to demonstrate that safeguarding arrangements are implemented consistently in practice.

Photographs, videos and children’s privacy

Taking photographs has become an important part of documenting children’s learning.

However, photographs are also personal data and need to be handled appropriately.

The DfE’s current guidance advises settings to keep the number of images and videos taken of children to a minimum and to share them with parents through technically secure methods.

Practitioners should therefore consider:

Has appropriate parental consent been obtained?
Is the image genuinely necessary?
Is the setting’s device being used?
Where will the image be stored?
Who can access it?
How will it be shared?
When will it be deleted?
Does the image reveal personal information about the child or setting?

There is also an important pedagogical consideration.

Parental consent does not remove the need to teach children about consent.

Even when permission has been given for photographs to be taken, practitioners can model respectful behaviour:

“I’m going to take a photograph of your tower. Is that okay?”

This helps children begin to understand that their image and body belong to them.

Social media: protecting children and professionals

Online safety also applies to adults working in early years.

Practitioners should understand their setting’s policies relating to:

personal social media accounts
photographs of children
communication with parents
online learning journals
messaging applications
personal devices
professional boundaries
sharing information about children, families or colleagues.

The UKCIS guidance highlights the potential risks created when professional and personal online lives become blurred.

A useful question for practitioners is:

“Would I be comfortable if this post was seen by my manager, a parent or a safeguarding professional?”

If the answer is no, it is worth reconsidering whether it should be posted.

Supporting children with SEND

Digital technology can also have significant benefits for inclusion.

For some children, assistive technology can support:

communication
interaction
participation
independence
accessibility
sensory regulation
engagement with learning.

The DfE’s screen-use guidance specifically recognises that its general screen-time limits do not apply to screen-based assistive technology for children with SEND where it provides essential benefits for communication, wellbeing and quality of life.

This reinforces an important principle from Birth to 5 Matters:

Digital pedagogy must be inclusive.

Technology should not be used simply because it is available, but neither should children be prevented from accessing technology that provides an important means of communication, participation or learning.

What about AI?

Artificial intelligence is increasingly appearing in children’s lives through toys, apps and other digital technologies.

The revised Birth to 5 Matters resources recognise AI as part of the changing digital landscape. However, current DfE guidance advises settings to avoid children using AI until there is better evidence about the impact of AI use on early years children, including AI-enabled toys.

This is an area that early years leaders will need to continue monitoring as technology develops.

The key safeguarding question should always be:

Do we understand what the technology does, what information it collects and what risks it creates?

Working in partnership with parents

Children’s digital experiences do not stop when they leave the setting.

A child may have very different experiences of technology at home, and families will have different levels of confidence, knowledge and access to digital resources.

Partnership therefore needs to be supportive rather than judgemental.

Practitioners might share:

information about age-appropriate apps
guidance on parental controls
ideas for healthy digital routines
information about online risks
suggestions for co-viewing
advice about privacy and photographs
links to trusted online-safety resources.

The DfE recommends that settings talk to parents and carers about safe technology use and provide practical advice to encourage safe online experiences at home.

Birth to 5 Matters similarly identifies partnership with families and building shared understanding of digital technologies as an important element of digital pedagogy.

What does good practice look like?

A strong early years approach to internet safety might look like this:

Leaders

Have clear online-safety and acceptable-use policies.
Include digital safeguarding within the setting’s wider safeguarding culture.
Ensure staff receive appropriate training.
Review filtering, monitoring and device security.
Ensure data and images are handled securely.
Monitor how technology is actually being used.

Practitioners

Check digital content before children use it.
Remain with children during screen use.
Model safe and respectful digital behaviour.
Talk to children about privacy and asking permission.
Use technology for a clear pedagogical purpose.
Connect digital experiences to real-world learning.
Challenge and question children’s understanding.

Children

Begin to understand that technology needs to be used safely.
Know to tell a trusted adult if something worries them.
Develop an understanding of privacy and consent.
Experience technology alongside meaningful interaction and play.
Develop early critical-thinking skills about what they see and hear.

Families

Understand the setting’s approach.
Receive practical, non-judgemental support.
Know where to access reliable online-safety information.
Are encouraged to co-view and co-engage with young children.
Can share concerns about their child’s digital experiences.

A simple leadership reflection

Early years leaders could use the following questions during supervision, staff meetings or safeguarding audits:

1. Why are we using this technology?
What does it add to children’s learning or experience?

2. What is the adult doing?
Are practitioners actively co-engaging rather than simply supervising?

3. What could the child see or access?
Have we checked the content, settings and potential risks?

4. What data are we collecting?
Are photographs, videos and personal information being managed securely?

5. What are children learning about safety?
Are we building age-appropriate foundations for safe digital behaviour?

6. What are families being told?
Are we working collaboratively and without judgement?

7. Is the experience inclusive?
Does technology remove barriers or create them?

8. What is technology replacing?
Could the same experience be achieved more effectively through play, relationships, physical exploration or conversation?

These questions bring together safeguarding, pedagogy, inclusion and professional judgement.

Moving beyond “screen time”

The introduction of Digital Pedagogy within the revised Birth to 5 Matters, alongside the DfE’s updated screen-use guidance, provides an opportunity for the sector to have a more sophisticated conversation about technology.

The aim should not be to create a technology-free early years environment.

Equally, technology should never become a substitute for the relationships, play, movement, communication, exploration and first-hand experiences that are fundamental to young children’s development.

Instead, practitioners should ask:

Is this safe?
Is this purposeful?
Is it developmentally appropriate?
Is an adult actively involved?
Does it enrich the experience?
Does it support this particular child?

The revised Birth to 5 Matters makes clear that effective digital pedagogy is fundamentally about the quality of children’s experiences, not the presence of technology itself.

For early years settings, internet safety is therefore not a one-off lesson or policy document. It is an everyday safeguarding responsibility and an important part of preparing children to live, learn and participate safely in an increasingly digital world.

Useful resources

Important 2026 context: from 1 September 2026, the revised EYFS statutory frameworks require providers to have regard to the new screen-use guidance for early years settings. This makes the quality and safety of children’s digital experiences an especially important area for leaders to review as part of current practice and safeguarding arrangements.

Hot Topics

Internet Safety in the Early Years: Keeping Young Children Safe in a Digital World