E-safety and Social Media

The Internet – an inspiring and positive place The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices. You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills than you do, however children and young people still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online.

The Internet – an inspiring and positive place Conduct Content Contact Commercialism

Conduct It’s easy to feel anonymous online and it’s important that children are aware of who is able to view, and potentially share, the information that they may have posted. When using the internet, it’s important to keep personal information safe and not share it with strangers. Discuss with your child the importance of reporting inappropriate conversations, messages, images and behaviors and how this can be done.

Content Some online content is not suitable for children and may be hurtful or harmful. This is true for content accessed and viewed via social networks, online games, blogs and websites. It’s important for children to consider the reliability of online material and be aware that it might not be true or written with a bias.

Contact It is important for children to realize that new friends made online may not be who they say they are and that once a friend is added to an online account, you may be sharing your personal information with them. Regularly reviewing friends lists and removing unwanted contacts is a useful step. Privacy settings online may also allow you to customize the information that each friend is able to access. If your child is the victim of cyber bullying, this can also be reported online and offline. Reinforce with your child the importance of telling a trusted adult straight away if someone is bullying them or making them feel uncomfortable, or if one of their friends is being bullied online.

Commercialism Young people’s privacy and enjoyment online can sometimes be affected by advertising and marketing schemes, which can also mean inadvertently spending money online, for example within applications. Encourage your children to keep their personal information private, learn how to block both pop ups and spam emails, turn off in-app purchasing on devices where possible, and use a family email address when filling in online forms.

Keeping children safe on Roblox What is Roblox? Roblox is a gaming platform where multiple players interact and play together online. The site has a collection of games aimed at 8-18 year olds, however players of all ages can use the site. Roblox is currently available on PC, phone, tablet and Xbox One. Every game on Roblox is created by users, and there are a wide variety to choose from. These can vary from delivering pizzas, to roaming a kingdom as a medieval knight, to even starring in a fashion show. This variety is one of the reasons that Roblox is so popular with young people. https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/roblox-guide-parents

Keeping children safe on ROblox What is Roblox? ROBLOX is a user-generated gaming platform where you can create your own games or play games that other users have made. There is also the option to chat to other players. Just like ALL things in regards to your kids online – you MUST be an active part of whatever they are doing, including playing ROBLOX. There are inappropriate things that happen on this game – the game does try to make an effort to make this a safe place for kids to play, but with as many players as this game has, it’s obviously not that easy.

Keeping children safe on Instagram Have any of your children got Instagram accounts? Instagram is an app that allows you to take or import a picture. You can then choose to apply filters to customize the image. After that, you add a caption. Then you hit Next and choose how you want to share the photo – with your Instagram followers, or outside the app, via email, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media services. You are required to be at least 13 to have an Instagram account, this is to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Keeping children safe on Minecraft 7+ Children told the NSPCC their top concerns when playing minecraft. Bullying talking to strangers Hacking downloading viruses. They may also come across inappropriate content like violent or sexual language and images. To help keep children safe on Minecraft, make sure: you know where they’re playing they’re using appropriate safety settings you talk to them about what to do if they see anything upsetting.

Mobile Phones: Smartphones and  tablets have overtaken computers in popularity Convenient Same functionality as a computer – think of them as not just a phone. Higher risk: theft, availability, privacy. Engagement in playground Photos – instant uploads and sharing

How to find out about a site/game? https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/ https://www.net-aware.org.uk/ https://www.getsafeonline.org/safeguarding-children/your-child-and-social- networking/

Must Do’s Screen boxes: Every night all family members leave devices in a box in the kitchen at an agreed time. (at least an hour before bed) All games and social media to be played in communal areas, not alone in bedrooms. No screens in bedroom, bathroom etc Ask children to show you how they make sure they are safe online – get them to give you top tips. Ask children to show you how to play the games they like – especially the ones with chatrooms. Create some what if scenarios – do it TOGETHER!

Maintaining an open dialogue with your child

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