Online Safety
Thank you to everyone who attended our online safety workshop for parents and carers. Fourteen of our families were represented and many more of you asked for the information that was shared. Racheal Nahum gave us some excellent support and advice.
The key point was to regularly check in with children about how things are going online. We know that as our children grow up, they will make mistakes. They have to feel that they can come and talk to us.
Five themes of online safety
- Conduct – How you behave online
- Content – What you view, share (upload) and download
- Contact – Who do you interact with
- Overuse – Are we using technology too much?
- Commercial – Advertising to children, scams and more
Below is an electronic version of the ‘top tips’ handout. Click on the logos at the bottom to be linked to the relevant websites.
Parental Controls
Safety Net recommends that parents take five steps to keep their children safer online.
1. Understand how to set limits from your internet service provider (SKY, TALKTALK, Virgin, BT)
2. Put restrictions on devices. (iPad, mobiles, Xbox etc.)
3. Set safe search on google and YouTube (turn off auto play)
4. Have a plan for when things go wrong.
5. Most importantly - keep involved in your child's online life
These steps are not easy to do, the links below will help. Sometimes these steps make the internet too restricted and you might need to remove or set time limits. The technologies in this area are changing all the time.
Use Internet Matters: https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls
Useful links:
ThinkUKnow: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
Parentzone Screen Time: https://www.parents.parentzone.org.uk/morearticles/screen-time-everything-you-need-to-know
Creating Family Media Policy: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx
Childrens Commissioner: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/talking-to-your-child-about-online-sexual-harassment-a-guide-for-parents/
Video links:
These are the videos that we watched:
NSPCC #shareaware (Lucy and the Boy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwcL-VP3FYc
‘Can I be your friend?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDycZH0CA4I
Fantastic course:
From Internet Matters called Fostering Digital Skills
https://www.internetmatters.org/fostering-digital-skills-online-learning-course/
I don't feel safe online. What should I do?
If you have seen something on the internet that worries you, please tell an adult straight away.
If you are being bullied online or receiving hurtful text messages please:
- Don’t reply: most of the time the bully is looking for a reaction when they’re teasing or calling someone nasty names.
- Save the evidence: save emails or text messages or screen shots. This will help you report the bullying.
- Tell someone: tell a trusted adult if you are being online bullied.
At Carlton Hill we believe that everybody has the right to feel safe. Bullying and online bullying are defined in our Relationships, Behaviour and Anti-bullying Policy. This policy also shows the clear steps we take when bullying is reported.
Should my child be using that app?
| We always recommend that our school community uses Common Sense Media, a website that rates movies, TV shows, books, and more so parents can feel informed about the choices they make for their kids. This website helps families as they navigate the challenges and possibilities of raising kids in the digital age. Learn how they rate and review. |
Cyber Choices
It is possible that children who spend a lot of time online (gaming, forums etc) can be exposed to cyber crime. The Cyber Choices programme was created to help people make informed choices and to use their cyber skills in a legal way.
The aims of the programme are:
- Explaining the difference between legal and illegal cyber activity
- Encouraging individuals to make informed choices in their use of technology
- Increasing awareness of the Computer Misuse Act 1990
- Promoting positive, legal cyber opportunities
Here are some useful web links:
How do I keep my child safe online?
Explore together. Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps and what they do on them.
Chat little and often about online safety. Ask if anything ever worries them while they’re online.
Help your child identify trusted adults who can help them if they are worried. This includes you and other adults at home, as well as adults from wider family, school or other support services.
Be non-judgemental. Explain that you would never blame them for anything that might happen online.
Supervise their online activity. Keep the devices your child uses in communal areas of the house such as in the living room or kitchen where an adult is able to supervise.
Talk about how their online actions affect others. Remind them to consider how someone else might feel before they post or share something.
TikTok
What age is TikTok recommended for?
Common Sense recommends the app for age 15+ mainly due to the privacy issues and mature content. TikTok requires that users be at least 13 years old to use the full TikTok experience.
It is worth considering that TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly. in 2019, settled with the Federal Trade Commission for child privacy violations.
Our online safety code
I always ask permission from a teacher before using the internet.
I only use the internet when there is an adult supervising me.
I never use anyone else’s username and password.
I am always polite and kind when I post things on websites.
I will report any unpleasant websites or comments to my teacher immediately.
I never give my full name, home address or telephone number when I’m on the internet.
I never arrange to meet anyone when I'm using the internet.
I never use my personal email account or any social networking sites while I'm at school.
If I bring a mobile phone to school, I only use it to contact my parents/carers, and I place it in the classroom locker during school hours.
10 essential tips for children
- Don’t post any personal information online – like your address, email address or mobile number.
- Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself. Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online most people can see it and may be able to download it, it’s not just yours anymore.
- Keep your privacy settings as high as possible
- Never give out your passwords
- Don’t befriend people you don’t know
- Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to your parent or carer about people suggesting you do
- Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are
- Think carefully about what you say before you post something online
- Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views doesn’t mean you need to be rude
- If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website, turn off your computer if you want to and tell a trusted adult immediately.
How do you educate children to build knowledge, skills and capability when it comes to online safety?
At the start of each school year, each class completes a unit of online safety learning. For example, in Year 1 children begin to learn that passwords are private, and in Year 6 children learn to say no to inappropriate requests.
We also take part in 'Safer Internet Day' - every class takes part in activies and a competition.
Most importantly we talk with our pupils about online safety. We ask if anything ever worries them while they’re online.
How do you educate and support parents about online safety?
Every year, parents are invited to a workshop about online safety - please see the information at the top of this page. During this session, parents and carers can find out what the children have been learning about. They are also given up to date information about threats and opportunities online. The most useful part is an open discussion, when parents and carers share thier own experiences and support each other.
We also keep this webpage up to date.
Our fortnightly school newletter always has a section on online safety containing the lastest information and advice.
Useful Links
-
We strongly advise you to set up a (free) account with https://parentinfo.org/ and they will keep you up to date with guidance on online safety issues.
- Common Sense Media
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ThinkUKnow: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
Parentzone Screen Time: https://www.parents.parentzone.org.uk/morearticles/screen-time-everything-you-need-to-know
Creating Family Media Policy: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx
Childrens Commissioner: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/talking-to-your-child-about-online-sexual-harassment-a-guide-for-parents/
