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Online safety, information for parents

On line safety
 
With the increased access children have to devices that can connect to the internet, it has never been more important to understand how to be safe when using online content.

Whether children are accessing images, online games, social media platforms or just surfing the web, as part of their homework, they need to remain safe and have good mental health and well being. We hope the information that follows on this page will support you and your children to have those important conversations.
Online Safety is an important part of keeping children safe at Landscove C of E Primary School.

We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material.

Any online safety incidents are recorded and managed in accordance with our online safety policy and online safety is taught to all pupils as part of our PSHE programme explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online. We also regularly post online safety guides on our Facebook page. 
6.02.2024 -
Information from today's meeting on internet safety. 
More information can be found here -
www.internetmatters.org

Some useful websites:

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/ - 'Since 2006, Thinkuknow has been keeping children and young people safe by providing education about sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Thinkuknow is unique. It is underpinned by the latest intelligence about child sex offending from CEOP Command. Thinkuknow aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them. Alongside the Thinkuknow website the programme provides educational resources, including films, cartoons and lesson plans, to help professionals raise young people’s awareness.'

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/nspcc - contains articles and useful information for keeping your children safe online.

#StaySafeStayHome - Helpful Online Resources | Internet Matters - Internet matters is a not-for-profit organisation to empower parents and carers to keep children safe in the digital world. They have some easy-to-use instructions on using parental controls to help prevent children from accessing unsuitable content online and lots of other resources.

Online Safety for Children - Tips & Guides | NSPCC

The NSPCC has free online safety resources from setting up parental controls to advice on sexting, online games and video apps. There is also advice on how to start talking to your child about online safety and how to make sure they know they can turn to you about anything that worries them.

Useful resources:

Below you will find some information booklets to help parents' keep their children safe online. They have been produced by O2 and the NSPCC and Vodafone. They contain some vitally important information when it comes to child safety online.

Online safety 2023-2024 - useful resources and updates

ONLINE SAFETY - September 2023 update

From reception to the end of primary school, children’s digital journey changes a lot. 

At a younger age, they might engage more with videos and tablet games. However, at the primary school age, children might talk more with family and friends or play online games. With more online interactions, they experience more risks and opportunities. 

Internet Matters have produced a guide called ‘Discovering digital at primary school’ which will help prepare you for the new school year with insights into the online safety issues primary children might face. 

Children hear and see so much! 

Get Britain Talking

You might have seen the adverts on TV regarding the Get Britain Talking campaign which has launched a unique homework task designed to help young people open up about the hardest subject of all: what’s on their minds. The strength of this homework is that it offers a powerful nudge and a simple tool to facilitate children’s questions. Here’s the homework should you like to open up this conversation with your children.

Lego have created some wonderful activities for children aged 6-9 years covering different topics which are designed to help children navigate the online world safely, including conversation starters. All the activities and resources are free and can be found here:

Build and talk - Sustainability - LEGO.com

 

With everything that is going on around the world at the moment, it's important that parents know how to minimise the negative impact of what their children may be seeing. The Mental Health Foundation have put some advice together which you may find useful:

Talking to children about scary world events | Mental Health Foundation
Online Safety 2022-2023 - useful resources and updates
As much as we do in school in relation to online safety, it is important that this continues at home. An understandable concern from many parents is that they don't know where to start, what conversations to have etc. Internet Matters have made available a series of 'things to do together' which includes things like, 'am I ready for a social media account', 'is it okay to.....' activities, an online safety agreement, 'what-if' scenarios and much more. You can find the resources here:
 

I'm sure you will have heard of ChatGPT - the capabilities are extraordinary but some parents may not be aware of it so Childnet have put together an informative blog for parents/carers to explain AI and ChatGPT, what it can/can't do and importantly, the safety considerations. You can find the blog here:

https://www.childnet.com/blog/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-chatgpt-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers/?fbclid=IwAR1LtZKmMLWbsf4G00O3NOihpwcRxX0ATxxM9L6HANucm8adh6IX4c2ifOE

The social media world of fast-scrolling, instant connections and perfection can have a detrimental effect on wellbeing. It is important that parents have the knowledge and confidence to talk to their children and as such Internet Matters have put together a guide for parents. Although the guide is titled to support young girls aged 9-10, there is good advice for boys and girls of any age. You can find the guide here: https://www.internetmatters.org/.../supporting-9-10-year.../
Support 9-10-year-old girls' wellbeing | Internet Matters
 
 
INTERNETMATTERS.ORG
Support 9-10-year-old girls' wellbeing | Internet Matters
GAMING
We all know that gaming is a hugely popular activity for a number of different reasons, e.g. socialisation, coping mechanism, skill building and much more. Many games are not appropriate for children and plenty of parents struggle with this. Internet Matters have put a guide together which details some alternative games beyond the most popular ones and promoting gaming as a family affair. There are games from 3+ upwards so there's something for everyone. You can download the guide here: https://www.internetmatters.org/.../Internet-Matters...
INTERNETMATTERS.ORG
www.internetmatters.org
 
Ofcom’s annual ‘Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes’ report provides a comprehensive picture of how young people used and interacted with the internet in the preceding year. It’s a fascinating snapshot of what games and apps young people are currently favouring, how long they spend online and how tastes change at certain ages. While some of Ofcom’s latest findings will probably come as scant surprise (YouTube being by far the most popular platform among under-18s, for instance), other conclusions may raise an eyebrow or two. This guide presents some of the report’s most eye-catching facts and figures in an accessible infographic format.
In the guide you'll find statistics and trends such as the current most popular platforms for young people and the proportion of children in each age group who play online games.
Digital wellbeing relates to the use of technology (including games and apps) which can impact an individual's life, both positively and negatively. This can be a difficult area to target because everyone's experiences are different, but it can be useful to discuss with children aspects that can support digital wellbeing (e.g. positive influences) and what can affect digital wellbeing (e.g. exposure to abuse). South West Grid for Learning have a really good article, as well as signposting to useful resources including wellbeing tools on apps (such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube). You can view the SWGfL article here: https://swgfl.org.uk/topics/digital-wellbeing/
Topic: Digital Wellbeing | SWGfL
 
 
SWGFL.ORG.UK
Topic: Digital Wellbeing | SWGfL
Vodafone have created a fantastic resource for parents including information, YouTube videos, and an interactive resource providing information about parental controls and safety settings. Everything is free and you can find further information here: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/.../dig.../digital-parenting-pro/
Digital Parenting Pro | Parental Controls Guide | Vodafone UK
 
 
VODAFONE.CO.UK
Digital Parenting Pro | Parental Controls Guide | Vodafone UK
For some parents, online gaming can be a mystery when it comes to their children. Equally there are lots of myths: studies where statistics have been cherry-picked, questionable information about screen time and gaming disorder and much more. The White Hatter has put together a really useful article (including a few videos) on these topics complete with advice and guidance and you can access it here: https://thewhitehatter.ca/online-gaming/
Online Gaming - The White Hatter
 
 
THEWHITEHATTER.CA
Online Gaming - The White Hatter
Fortnite Chapter 4 has just been released, which means that many children are going to be talking about this. Similarly, some children who grew bored with Chapter 3 are going to be checking out the new Chapter 4. So now is a good time for parents to revisit those parental controls to set up the game and devices appropriately to the age of the child. There is a step-by-step guide to setting up parental controls on Fortnite here: https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-control
See more
Fortnite parental controls and privacy settings | Internet Matters
 
 
INTERNETMATTERS.ORG
Fortnite parental controls and privacy settings | Internet Matters
Can you find the fake? Internet Matters have a great little quiz for parents and their children to test their knowledge around areas such as fake news, disinformation, misinformation, and how to stop it from spreading. Challenge your family to the quiz here: https://www.internetmatters.org/.../fake.../find-the-fake/
Find the fake quiz - Internet Matters
 
 
INTERNETMATTERS.ORG
Find the fake quiz - Internet Matters
Finding games for children which are appropriate for their age, which work on the devices the children use and the children will actually enjoy playing can be a minefield, particularly when parents are being bombarded with the 'but everyone else is playing this game' guilt trip. Game Finder is a new (free) service available from Taming Gaming which walks parents through various aspects, such as how old is your child? What devices do they have? What types of games do they like to play? And then gives a list of recommendations of suitable games.
Game Finder
 
 
TAMINGGAMING.COM
Game Finder