Over the last year or so, I’ve built individual child online safety guides for the apps and platforms your kids are actually using. Roblox. Snapchat. Discord. Character.AI. Grooming. Sextortion. Screen time. One at a time, as the questions came in from parents and teachers or new threats revealed themselves.
Somewhere along the way I ended up with 34 of them. Useful guides on important topics, each one built to stand on its own, each one written in the same plain English style you’ll know if you’ve read anything I’ve put out.
But I kept thinking that each of these resources was great, but having them in one single guide would be useful. I still love the visual, infographic style of the individual guides, they’re not going anywhere. What I didn’t have was something centralised. Something less visual and more complete. A single document a parent could open on their phone at 11 pm when they’re worried, or a DSL could print and put in a staff folder.
So I built The Complete Parent’s Guide. All 34 guides, in one handbook, organised into four parts: Understanding Online Risks, Platform Guides, Parental Controls, and Further Resources.
What it actually is
It’s a free PDF that works on any device - phone, laptop, tablet, doesn’t matter. The contents page is fully clickable, so if you only need Snapchat, or only need grooming, you can jump straight there and because I know some of you will want a physical copy for a staffroom or a kitchen drawer, it’s built to print properly too.
It comes in two versions. Dark mode, which I’ll be honest, I love, it’s how the CSG brand is meant to look and also a light mode, which exists because some people prefer it, and because if you’re printing this off, your ink cartridge will thank you.
Why I think this matters
I want this to be the first thing a parent or teacher reaches for when they need to talk to a child about an app or a risk and aren’t sure where to start. Not because it’s the only resource out there. But because I’ve built every page of it to be something you can actually read, and more importantly, actually understand.
74% of UK parents say they worry specifically about AI-related online risks1. Most of them aren’t short of concern. They’re short of somewhere to put it.
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A moment I’ll be honest about
When I’d finished pulling all 34 guides together into one document, I sat with it for a minute and felt something I don’t always let myself feel, a bit of pride. This exists because I built it and I’ll say what I always say when people ask why I do any of this. Everything I do with Cyber Safety Guy comes out of something real and difficult, my C-PTSD, from eight years inside the evidence in Digital Forensics and Incident Response. If a parent uses this handbook and it helps them protect their child, that’s the thing that makes the difficult days worth it.
Who it’s for
Everyone. Parents, teachers, DSLs, grandparents, youth workers, anyone who wants to be better armed for the technological landscape kids are actually growing up in. That’s the whole point of pulling it together like this.
It’s free to download. If you want to support the work, subscriptions to this Substack go 100% to Childline. You don’t have to pay a penny to get the guide.
[ Download The Complete Parent’s Guide ]
If a child needs support right now, Childline is free, confidential and available 24/7: 0800 1111 | childline.org.uk
As always, thank you for your support. Please share this across your social media, and if you do have any comments, questions, or concerns, then feel free to reach out to me via the Social page, as I am always happy to spend some time helping to protect children online.
Remember that becoming a paid subscriber means supporting a charity very close to my heart and helping it do amazing things for people. Childline, I will donate 100% of paid subscriptions collected every six months, as I don’t do any of this for financial gain. Or to make a one-off donation, go to my Just Giving page.
If you or a child you know needs support:
Childline: 0800 1111 | childline.org.uk
Available 24/7, 365 days a year. Free, confidential, and here for every child.
UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day Survey, 2024. saferinternet.org.uk. Accessed August 2026. Figure reflects parents surveyed on AI, VR and new social media apps specifically.