A safety system for gas-operated cooking appliances which include at least one burner which is connected to the mains gas network via a distributor, the gas flow of which is controlled by a manually operated gas tap, includes a position switch, a flame detection device, an electrically controlled control valve which is installed in the mains gas network, a manually actuated restoring switch in operable communication with the control valve, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to open the control valve after the latter was shut off by the flame detector of the burner only when the control circuit simultaneously receives a signal from the restoring switch and the position switch. The safety system serves as a child safety measure which prevents an inadvertent re-activation of a gas flow system that has been shut off.