Online Safety
Online Safety—Advice for parents/carers on how to keep children safe online
It is now virtually impossible to be a parent of a child who is not an active participant in the online world. Parent/carers are aware of the wonderful learning benefits of engaging children in an online world, however, they are also increasingly aware of some of the more dangerous content and sites on the internet that can be upsetting for the child.
- Be aware of how your child engages with the online world.
- Talk to your child about their online habits
- Be aware if your child is engaging in social networking and decide what is appropriate for your child.
- Make sure your child knows what to do if they do come across inappropriate content or something that makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Age appropriate content and gaming.
- CEOPs – the place to get advice on and report an inappropriate or potentially illegal content or action that you see online.
- Childline - a online resource helping to make the internet a great and safe place for children
- Digizen – a fantastic resource that includes all sorts of advice on how we, as adults, can encourage children to become responsible digital citizen and discerning when viewing digital content.
- Internet Matters - Helping parents keep their children safe online.
- Know It All for Parents – is a unique interactive E-safety guide put together by Childnet International.
- Kidsmart – a fantastic online resource with excellent E-safety tips. There is also a fantastic children’s section for your children to explore.
- KCC Online Safety - Helping parents keep their children safe online plus external links
- NSPCC guide to online safety – advice on the appropriateness of online content from the NSPCC.
- NSPCC guide to social networks - advice for social networking.
- ThinkUKnow – an excellent website that has all sorts of advice for parents and carers as well as sections for children who want to learn about E-safety for themselves - an excellent resource to look at as a family.
- UK Safer Internet Centre – this website contains a wealth of resources and content about how to keep children safe online. They are also the group behind the Safer Internet Day initiative that is celebrated on a yearly basis.
- Youtube - a parent guide to using the product safely.
National Online Safety Mobile App
Safer Internet Day 2021
FREE Online Safety App for Parents & Educators! ??
We're excited to launch our FREE mobile app, giving you access to instant information about the latest apps, games, devices & more.
- Download for apple: hubs.ly/H0BwQjL0
- Download for android: hubs.ly/H0Bx0tp0
Additional info on how to stay safe online
- https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/sexting/zipit-app/
- https://internetsafety101.org/
- http://motherscircle.net/instagram-safety-tips-for-teens/
- https://young.scot/information/rights/stay-safe-instagram/
- https://instagram-press.com/blog/2017/06/06/tips-for-staying-safe-on-instagram/
How to Set up Parental Controls to Limit Age-Inappropriate Content | Android
How to Set up Parental Controls to Limit Age-Inappropriate Content | iPhone
Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people
Parental controls for Internet (virgin media)
https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/parental-control
Understanding the Playground - Fortnite
Since its release in 2017, the battle-royale simulator – Fortnite, has become ubiquitous in classrooms and playgrounds throughout the world. The game, which features cartoonish renderings of characters, bright colours and non-visceral consequence free violence, has had a mass appeal to children. Each Christmas another draft of young pupils are induced into its overcrowded multi-player lobbies, to the point that there is not a school pupil in the country who hasn’t owned it, begged their parents for it or played it round a friend’s house. As a result more children than ever are exposed to multi-player chatting with strangers, and financial exploitation via the game’s spend-to-gain-advantage operating style. Allowing children to use real world money to gain perks and costumes. From criminal blackmailing, to the coercion of nude exchanges by online ‘friends’ posing as children, the danger this game presents from a safeguarding perspective is clear. As an added complication, the verbiage surrounding the game used by pupils is near-incomprehensible, frustrating adepts to secure their safety. Fortunately to allow for greater comprehension of reports to staff involving the game, Internetmatters.org has published a guide to understanding the game and its terms. You can find the link below:
Child Safety and the Metaverse
Christmas has now come to a close and a new year has begun. As pupils and staff return to school, the annual playground inquisition will begin. Among their peer group young people will begin to discuss what they got for Christmas. For many the answer will almost certainly be ‘a Fortnite battle pass, a new PC, a PlayStation 5 etc’. All devices which allow both unfettered access to the internet and expose children to voice chat, text chat and photo sharing with complete strangers. This year presents an acceleration of vulnerability window as, VR headsets, connected to Facebook’s Metaverse have been released onto the marketplace. The Metaverse seeks to link users to the internet as a Virtual Entity through the use of Virtual Reality Headsets. This amplifies the danger children are exposed to online. To help you understand this new, fast changing issue the NSPCC has published a guide to both the Metaverse and VR headsets. To find out more please follow the link:
A Guide to Online Safety and Gaming
As a new generation of young people arrive onto using multiplayer games and the internet in general this new year, it is more important than ever to make your pupils aware of how to stay safe online. The SWGfL has published a pamphlet on how to best keep safe whilst using online software and games. With advice on reporting and blocking, online socialization and the considerations on online gaming, the pamphlet can be a useful resource for any teaching staff, giving lessons on the topic. You can find a link to that resource below:
https://swgfl.org.uk/assets/documents/online-safety-and-gaming.pdf
The ABC online safety checklist
https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/
What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Smart TVs
Smart TVs are the future of home entertainment … but how safe is that future? 📺🤔 The percentage of UK households that own a smart TV has leapt from 11% to 74% in less than ten years – and that proportion is only expected to increase further as more viewers discover the various benefits of these sophisticated systems 👀
While the technology is impressive, fun and increasingly affordable, the flip side is that the number of people (especially young ones) who need to be aware of their risks has risen commensurately. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide outlines how to avoid some common smart TV hazards, so that you can relax a little when your children do.
What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Palworld
Releasing in January 2024, Palworld took the gaming scene by storm, selling over five million copies in just three days. A new take on the survival genre – blending mechanics similar to games like Minecraft with the ability to catch and fight alongside creatures reminiscent of Pokémon – it saw plenty of coverage from games journalists and influencers alike.
However, despite its lower age rating and popularity with young gamers, Palworld has been criticised for its reliance on shock humour – touching on topics including animal abuse and sweatshop labour – and as a game featuring online multiplayer, one can expect certain safety concerns to arise. Our Wake Up Wednesday guide dives into the risks of Palworld, offering expert tips on how to safeguard children who simply want to enjoy the game.
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