How might your children ‘play the system’?

What Prep School children said: What Senior School children said: What Prep School children said: Calculator + Delete browsing history Hide pictures How unlimited internet access affected people: Violence and blood made some of them aggressive and paranoid Sexual content made them feel disgusted and they could not get it out of their head. Made them feel awkward with the other gender Bad language heard influenced their language Use incognito browser Use Google to bypass security Turn computers away from the door Keep two screens open all the time Delete browsing history Change search words These are the things that would help young people: Check devices regularly for changes Educate young people as to reality life vs virtual life Transparency – keep the conversation going!

Having a second ‘burner’/ghost phone. I cannot believe this actually happens but some children, usually teenagers with jobs, buy a second ‘burner’ phone so they can do whatever they want on one phone and show you the ‘safe’ phone on which they simply text, surf and play games. This is one of those tricks a child uses that leaves you torn between admiration at their resourcefulness and terrified at their deceptive abilities.

Clearing their browser history. Kids are such genius’ and if they know you are checking their browser history they could delete it. You can purchase software that tracks their activity or easier still, set your child up with a Microsoft Account. Tech expert Trevor Long says this is how he monitors his son’s use because his Microsoft Account is used on his computer and his gaming console and because the account is connected to Long’s email, he gets a weekly usage report.

Duplicate social media accounts. Yes, children will have duplicate social media accounts, particularly if you’ve banned them from particular social media accounts such as SnapChat, and it can be hard to keep children safe on platforms you don’t even know they are on. That’s when you know you need to ensure your children’s devices are linked to yours and accessible via mirroring software or a Microsoft account.

Snapchat tricks There are two tricks Snapchat users have up their sleeves - one is a legitimate feature, the other is a glitch: Changing usernames: Users can alter the usernames of whoever they wish. Teens are the most prolific users of Snapchat, and they’re likely to have a lot of completely random followers. Even if parents check their child’s Snapchat followers, the child has the option to amend any random follower’s username to whatever they want. They do this so they can convince their parents that only their friends, peers and family follow them on Snapchat. Secret screenshots: There is a way for users to screenshot other users’ images without being found out. Snapchat is designed to alert users when someone has taken a screenshot of their Snap. It’s a feature used to maintain a user’s right to privacy. The glitch involves allowing a Snap to download and then turning the phone to Aeroplane mode. A user can then screenshot the Snap without Snapchat alerting the owner of the Snap. This glitch has been used for cyberbullying.

 Secret message apps There are several popular secret message apps available on the App Store. These include Telegram and Signal – both are designed to send ‘self-destructing’ messages to other users. Facebook has also released a ‘Secret Message’ function to its own Messenger app that allows both ‘encrypted messages’ and self-destructing messages. Parents have absolutely no way of tracing these messages, but they can block the apps so teens cannot use them on their devices.