The question every parent eventually gets
It usually arrives at the kitchen table, somewhere between homework and dinner. Your child looks up and says, "Can I go on the computer by myself?" It is a reasonable thing for them to want. It is also the moment most parents realise they have not actually decided what "by myself" is going to mean.
The Jay & Jack Show was built for exactly this moment. Jay, his dog Jack, and Murphy, who keeps getting things wrong, walk children through the basics of staying safe online in plain language. The safety episode is free, has no ads and needs no sign-up, so families can watch it together before the rules are set.
Start with the three rules children can remember
The show keeps its safety message short on purpose. Children remember short things. The core rules are:
- Never share your address or other personal details.
- Tell a grown-up if something feels wrong or confusing.
- Always ask before you click.
These are simple enough for a young child to repeat back, which is the point. A rule a child can say out loud is a rule they can use when an adult is not standing next to them. Murphy demonstrates what happens when those rules get skipped, which lets children see the mistake without any real-world consequence.
Make the first solo session a practice run
Rather than treating the first independent online session as a test, treat it as a rehearsal. Sit nearby, not on top of them. Let them navigate, and let them ask questions. The games and activities on the site are deliberately built with no chat and no ads, so there is nowhere for a stranger to reach a child and nothing trying to keep them scrolling.
A few things that help a first session go well:
- Agree in advance how long the session will last.
- Decide together what they will do first.
- Stay in the room or close by for the first few times.
- Ask afterwards what they enjoyed and whether anything felt odd.
That last question matters more than it sounds. Children often do not volunteer a worry unless they are asked directly, and asking normalises the idea that they can bring problems to an adult.
Use offline time to reinforce the message
Safety lessons stick better when they are not only delivered on a screen. The printable sheets give families something to do at the table on a rainy afternoon, and they quietly repeat the same messages the episodes cover. Colouring in a character who is making a poor choice, then talking about it, does more for a six-year-old than a lecture.
For parents who want to go further, the show's approach is straightforward: no ads anywhere, no comments sections, and no data collected from children. The episodes are written, voiced and produced in Australia, and the safety episode stays free whether or not a family ever becomes a member.
What to do when something goes wrong
Murphy exists because mistakes happen. If a child clicks something they should not have, the goal is to keep them talking, not to make them feel foolish. A child who expects a telling-off is a child who hides the next mistake. Watch the safety episode again together, ask what Murphy did wrong, and let them explain it back. That is usually enough to turn a small mishap into a lesson that lasts.
The show's whole premise is that children learn better from a character who gets it wrong than from an adult who is always right. Families can put that to work at home this week.
Start by watching the free safety episode together, then set your three rules before the next request to go online alone comes around.