ONLINE SAFETY

The apps and games that are available to our children are constantly evolving, so sometimes it’s difficult to make sense of which content is age-appropriate; which games are safe to play; and exactly what your child is being exposed to.  That is why we have added Help Guides for parents and carers from a variety of reputable online safety charities and companies, with information along the lines of: how to manage the settings, privacy modes, how to report concerns, and what to expect from the app or game.

National Online Safety have also produced “handy guides with suggested apps and games that children might enjoy using to learn and play”, which are also attached.

Useful links

Below are a selection of useful links about staying safe online for parents/carers and children.

Learning about online safety at home (ThinkUKnow)

Thinkuknow is the education programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline. ThinkUKnow have created some parent support videos for sharing the importance of online safety with their children who are learning at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.  New videos are published every fortnight.

The site also includes Home Activity packs with simple 15 minute activities to support children’s understanding of online safety at a time.

Links to both the support videos and Home Activity packs can be found below.

Be SMART: Online Safety Video Lessons (Childnet)

Childnet have released six new easy-to-follow videos for parents and children to work through together. The 10-15 minute videos offer simple, clear online safety advice, using fun activities, games and discussion.  There are optional follow-up activities to extend children’s learning.

The videos can be found via the link below.

 

Video lessons for children and parents

Baldwins Hill Primary School participated in the global Saferinternet,’Create, Connect and Share Respect, A better internet starts with you’.

Please use this link to support you and your child: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2018

Digital Parenting Magazine Issue 5

“Today, families use a whole range of different devices that allow us to get online almost anywhere, at any time, and communicate with almost anyone using social media. As parents, we have always had a key role in helping our children build resilience as they grow – and this is as true in the online world as in the offline.”

NSPCC: Keeping children safe

Find out how you can keep children safe from abuse and other dangers, both online and in the physical world.

Click CEOP internet safety.

To help children stay safe online.

Net-aware

A guide to the social networks your child could be using and accessing

Childnet

An organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children

One Direction Parody Song – “Who do you share your details with?”

CBBC Newsround supergroup ‘News Kids on the Block’ have some helpful tips on using the internet safely.

As parents – or relatives, teachers and other adults responsible to children’s safety – we want our children and those we look after to be healthy and happy … and to develop well both physically and mentally. Above all, it’s also instinctive that we want kids to be safe.

Children learn through exploration and natural curiosity, and it is part of our job as parents and carers to encourage that. However, as our children grow up, develop and discover new experiences, we have to take more and different steps to ensure their safety.
Until their understanding and instincts catch up with their curiosity, our children need to be protected from everyday dangers – whether crossing the road, in and around the home, trying new foods or talking to new people they meet.

And sooner or later … going online.

They’re growing up fast

Depending on the age that your children are now, they may not have yet discovered computers, smartphones or tablets, unless it’s just pressing the buttons! Alternatively, they may already be used to using certain trusted websites or – if they’re older – using social networking sites.

By the time they are older still, they will probably already be ‘online veterans’ who know their way around the internet, apps, games, downloading and social networking with ease. Chances are, they know more about these things than you do. But they almost certainly don’t have the life-experience and wisdom to handle all of the situations they encounter.

Which is why we need a measured approach to keeping our children safe when they’re online.

So what’s changed?

Until relatively recently, most homes had a family computer, on which parents could safely introduce their children to the internet, keep an eye on what they were doing and introduce a degree of monitoring and control using parental software. When children started to get their own computers for doing their homework and playing games, it became more difficult to work with them to ensure they were visiting appropriate websites and not talking to strangers online in the privacy of their bedrooms.

Now, of course, in the age of smartphones and tablets – effectively mini-computers that can be usedanywhere – most parents find it a real challenge to not only educate their children in doing the right thing, but monitor and control their online behaviour.

The risks

None of us – of whatever age – is immune from encountering problems online, as a look through this website or the daily news will tell you. Our children are certainly at a vulnerable stage in their lives … naturally more trusting than adults and hopefully having been less exposed to the darker side of the internet. They are also not as well equipped to deal with such issues – or their consequences. Some of these potential issues are as follows:

  • Inappropriate contact: from people who may wish to abuse, exploit or bully them.
  • Inappropriate conduct: because of their own and others’ online behaviour, such as the personal information they make public, for example on social networking sites. Unfortunately, children can also become cyberbullies, especially when encouraged by others.
  • Inappropriate content: being able to access or being sexually explicit, racist, violent, extremist or other harmful material, either through choice or in error.
  • Commercialism: being the targets of aggressive advertising and marketing messages.
  • Gaining access to your personal information stored on your computer, mobile device or games console, and passing it on to others … or using your financial details such as payment card information.
  • Enabling viruses and spyware by careless or misinformed use of their or your computer, smartphone, tabletor games console.

Our advice

Everyone needs help sometimes … and that’s especially true of parents trying to stay switched-on to their children’s online safety.

Please click on the links on this page to pick up some expert, up-to-the-minute advice.

We’ve prepared some simple checklists to help you keep your kids safe online according to their age group. Click on your child’s age to find out more:

Under 5 years    6 – 9 years    10 – 12 years   13 years and over

For information and advice, and to report concerns directly to The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), click on the report button below. CEOP is a command of the National Crime Agency, and is dedicated to tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people. CEOP is here to help young people (up to age 18) who have been forced or tricked into taking part in sexual activity with anyone online or in the real world.

Helpful Websites:

Here are some useful links about e-safety:

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

http://www.internetsafetyzone.co.uk/

http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parents-guide-to-technology

http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/parents.html]

http://www.childnet.com/resources/kia

http://www.kidscape.org.uk/parents-carers/cyber-bullying-online-safety/