E-Safety

Staying safe and being a good friend on apps, sites and games

 

Children and young people have spent much more time on devices than ever before during lockdown, so as we approach the summer holidays, here is some information about staying safe online and principles you can help us remind your children about.

 

There is a handy fridge flyer to help parents at toptipscorona.lgfl.net which you may want to print out and keep.

 

Please do not worry too much about screen time - think instead about screen quality, balance and mental health. The Children's Commissioner has provided a framework called the ‘Digital Five a Day’ with five things to think about each day to help put that into practice.

 

It is really important children get the opportunity to chat to friends, so it's great to hear that many of them have been chatting online during lockdown. We are sure that this will continue over the summer, so please help us reinforce some key messages about appropriate behaviour to keep everyone safe and happy.

 

There have been reports of children being upset by bullying on chat apps, as well as some distressing images being shared between friendship groups. This can usually be avoided if we remind children and young people to look out for their friends, not say anything that they wouldn't like to hear themselves, and always stop or stand up for others if someone gets upset.  

 

Please remind your children never to share scary or rude images, even to complain about them. If they do see something that worries them or that might be wrong, all they need to do is ask for help from a trusted adult. They could talk to you or to us, or they may feel more comfortable talking anonymously to Childline. If you or they are concerned about an adult's behaviour towards a child online, report them to CEOP. And as a parent, you can also contact the NSPCC - O2 advice line on 0808 800 5002.

 

One more thing - this may sound like more relevant to older children, but the very youngest children need reminding not to get undressed or changed online. There’s a fun song to get this message across at undressed.lgfl.net (plus background information for you).

 

There are lots more links and resources below to help you explore and share key ESafety messages with your children.

NEW Online Safety Videos from New Zealand

There is a link below to an online safety video called 'Where's Klaus?'*, in which the boy's mother keeps opening the door to various unsuitable people from 'The Internet'. It's nearly ten years old now, but the message is still very relevant today.

A new campaign from the New Zealand Government has just launched and four videos have been created to get the message home, illustrating the different challenges for parents online.

The videos can be found here:

Pornography https://www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz/pornography/

Online Bullying: https://www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz/online-bullying/

Online Grooming: https://www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz/online-grooming/

Inappropriate Content: https://www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz/controls-and-settings/

More information here: You can find the videos and resources here: https://www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz/

 

 

During partial or whole school closure, we anticipate that children may be spending more time online. Birmingham Local Education Authority has published some guidance for parents and teachers which is available below, and encourages us all to be vigilant.  Please see https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/ and the links and documents on this page for more information.

 

If you have a concern that a young person or child has had inappropriate contact or has been approached by a stranger online, it's essential to report this to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre www.ceop.police.uk or the police.

 

At St Francis Primary School we teach the children how to use modern technologies to support their learning across the curriculum. Technology opens a world of opportunities to those who use it securely. Whilst pupils are using technologies at school there is a variety of software that runs in the background, designed to help keep children safe.

 

Although safer at school; it is essential that children learn how to keep themselves safe whilst using technology and parents understand the importance they play in this role. At school we run E-safety days, where staff and community police come together to teach both pupils and parents/carers about the importance of keeping safe whilst using technology. Keep an eye out in the newsletter for our next event.