HS223 Inappropriate materials

Licensing criterion and guidance for HS223 Inappropriate materials.

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Criterion HS223

All practicable steps are taken to protect children from exposure to inappropriate material (for example, of an explicitly sexual or violent nature).

Guidance

How to show you are complying

You should always preview any material before sharing it with children, even if it has a suitable censor classification. Sometimes, content that is legally allowed may still not be appropriate for young children, depending on their age and how the material is presented.

While using the internet, you might accidentally come across harmful or inappropriate content through searches or unwanted emails. It’s important to use safe searching techniques and help children understand what to do if they see something upsetting online.

Supervising children whenever they use computers, tablets, or phones at the service is essential. Make sure you use passwords, firewalls, and parental controls to help block inappropriate material. Regularly review these settings to keep them effective.

You can also add “no access to inappropriate material” to your daily hazard check (HS12) to help keep this in focus.

When assessing whether you comply with HS223

Questions we are likely to ask

What steps do you take to protect children from exposure to inappropriate material?

We are likely to look at, measure or count

Look at whether children are expose to inappropriate content/material.

The tools below are here to support you, but you do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.

Netsafe offers policy templates that can be adapted for home-based services.

Kete Education Hub – Netsafe

Children can sometimes be exposed to inappropriate content by accident (whether online or in printed materials). Educators can use this checklist to help create a safe and supportive environment for children.

HS126 Inappropriate material checklist [DOCX, 55KB]

Taking all reasonable steps to prevent children’s exposure to inappropriate content creates a safer learning environment.