Online Safety

Monthly Online Safety Newsletters

Talk PANTS - Updated Webinar from NSPCC 

I'm sure you will have heard of the Talk PANTS resource from the NSPCC for younger children. They have just released an updated video to support parents. All the information can be found HERE and the updated video can be found on YouTube HERE.

Get Smart about Smartphones 

Internet Matters has some great advice for parents/carers about staying on top of their kids smartphone use along with advice, setting up smartphones, handy things to know and more. You can find the resource HERE.

Cyber Security Resources for Young People - Parent Zone
The issues around cyber security, have featured heavily in safeguarding discourse over the past few years. This is largely in response to the massive shift in people's social and familial life from the real world, to the digital space. It is vital that we begin teaching children and young people, the do's and don'ts of online safety before they have to learn the hard way. Parent Zone, an organisation that deals with the digital aspect of young people's lives have produced child oriented resources to this end. To find out more about these resources, please follow the link HERE.

Snapchat MyAI

As we all know Snapchat is one of the main social apps used by children from approx. Y3 upwards. Snapchat introduced MyAI as a new feature which can't be removed within Snapchat. Wayne Denner, a fellow online safety consultant, has put together a really handy article explaining all about MyAI, the features, issues and some tips for parents. You can find the article HERE (it was written and shared a few months ago but has since been updated).

A Window Into Young Children and the Online Space - Ofcom
According to Ofcom's annual study of children's relationship with the media and online worlds, 24% of 5 to 7 year olds own a smartphone. If the definition of devices is widened to tablets, that figure rises to 76%. It goes without saying that as professionals in the educational space, we must remain with a finger on the pulse of trends among this very young grouping. Their formative experiences in the online world, may be crucial in determining their future attitudes. This is particularly important since a third of those surveyed use social media unsupervised. Profiles on social media sites can be found for those in that age bracket, which due to the nature of social media may be cause for concern. If interested in Ofcom's findings please follow the link below:  https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2024/a-window-into-young-childrens-online-worlds

Roblox - How to Report

There is a 1-minute video on YouTube showing users how to report on Roblox HERE. 

What is County Lines?

Grooming is often associated with sexual grooming, but as we all know the process of grooming can be used for a multitude of crimes where children and young people can be exploited. Internet Matters have put together a really useful guide explaining county lines, how children are targeted, how children may be vulnerable and some resources/support. You can find the guide HERE.

Disney+ Parental Controls Guide

With the Easter holidays just around the corner many children will be tuning into their favourite shows on Disney+. Internet Matters have a really good guide about the settings that are available to keep content at a level suitable to the age of their children. The full guide can be found HERE.

What is Y99 chat?

After many years of concern, earlier this year the anonymous chat website Omegle was forced off the internet. But just because Omegle has gone, there are many more sites and apps to take its place. One of these sites is Y99 and whilst there's not too much about this it at the moment, it's one to keep your eyes and ears open for. 

Internet Matters has written a good article about Y99 which you can find the article HERE.

Second-Hand Devices

Parents will often hand down out of contract devices to their children. This is great, it can save a lot of money, but there needs to be consideration before handing older devices to children. You can find lots of useful information, things to consider and guides to second-hand devices from Internet Matters HERE.

Interactive Stories

Internet Matters have put together some great interactive stories/lessons covering a range of issues from self-image and identity, online bullying, relationships and more. The interactive stories can be used in the classroom and at home. More information can be found HERE.

What is Palworld?

Palworld is a new game similar to Pokemon and Digimon with a PEGI rating of 12 for fantasy-character-style violence. Given its similarity to Pokemon there's every likelihood that younger children will be playing this game and so Internet Matters have compiled some advice and guidance for parents about the game: what it is, how it works, safety settings etc.  You can find the article HERE.

Instagram Checklist - Southwest Grid for Learning  
Instagram is one of the most used platforms among young people and adults alike. Over the past decade, the platform has become ubiquitous and is an excellent source of entertainment and information for people globally. The global reach of the platform though, can be a cause for concern for those who have children or work with under-18s. The programme is principally a digestion source focused on images and videos, with a private chat function which for many is the sole reason for its use. In today's image focused society, it can be an outlet for how people wish to be perceived physically or in regards to their personality. As a result it actively encourages people to post about their personal life, in a way that would be detrimental should everyone have access to it. Privacy is optional on Instagram, and there is a wide spectrum of privacy options. To understand these options better the Southwest Grid for Learning has published resources aimed at achieving this goal. Please click on the link to find out more.  https://swgfl.org.uk/resources/checklists/instagram/

Undressed - London Grid for Learning
The danger posed to young people by their presence on social media, in regards to unacceptable requests is sadly an affair that often happens within friend groups or within relationships. Of course the issue of strangers making the same requests is always present, but these are principally teenage concerns. Underneath this lies a more sinister age group that often finds itself targeted almost exclusively by unknown adults online. That sector is the youngest of primary pupils. At primary ages, children are very easily taken advantage of as they are highly impressionable and unaware of the dangers they may be facing. The Undressed Song by the London Grid for Learning, is designed to educate these youngest of pupils on what should and shouldn't be done online. It does this through an understandable and age-appropriate medium - song. To find out more please follow the link: https://undressed.lgfl.net/

New NSPCC Videos

The NSPCC have been uploading some new videos onto their YouTube channel over the last week. Although not strictly online safety related, there are topics such as dealing with bullying, understanding healthy relationships and consent amongst others. To see their latest videos you can follow THIS link.

Early Years - Online Safety Starts Early

Internet Matters have a wonderful set of resources on their website specifically for schools and parents of early years children. The resources are a 4-episode series covering good habits, being mindful, device safety and digital chats. You can find all the resources HERE.

Assessing Smartphone Readiness

"Is my child old enough to have a phone?" It's a common, understandable question for many parents, but it's also one that is very difficult to answer as there are so many factors involved. For younger children it's often peer pressure, with older children social isolation is very common. Often, advice has to be given particular to that child/family, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

 The Institute for Digital Media and Child Development have put together some tip sheets for parents that are really useful. There are 3 parts:

• Assessing readiness.

• Preparing for healthy use.

• What now?

You can view all the tip sheets HERE.

Social Media Influencers

The things social media influencers do and say online can be quite impactful. Around a third of children and young people think that, because the influencer is a 'celebrity', what they share is always good. But we know that isn't the case, sometimes it can be advice based on pseudo-science, selling something because they've been paid to and much more.

Internet Matters have a great article where various specialists offer advice and guidance to parents/carers to help them to help their children think critically about social media influencers. You can find the article HERE.

Snapchat - New Parental Controls

In April 2023 Snapchat introduced My AI, essentially a chatbot. There was no choice, it was an embedded feature, and whilst many users are reporting a positive or mixed experience there have been some significant concerns over the advice being given to younger users.

Last week Snapchat expanded their Family Center tools which, amongst other features, allows parents to restrict the ability for My AI to respond to chats. Further details of these new features can be found HERE and the full list of teen protection features can be found HERE.

Roblox Checklist 2023

Roblox and SWGfL have collaborated together and created a checklist for parents which includes:

• How to report abuse.

• How to block users.

• Setting up a parent control pin.

• And more.

The resource can be downloaded HERE.

Little Digital Helps Toolkit

This is a really useful toolkit for parents/carers who may be unsure about what parental features are available on their children's devices. Put together by Internet Matters and Tesco it takes around 8 minutes to answer a few questions and then receive a tailored toolkit.

All details about the toolkit can be found HERE.

What are Social Media Scams?

With online scams on the rise worldwide, particularly at this time of year, it's important we are all aware of what scams are, the common types of scams and helpful tips. Internet Matters have a great information page for parents with lots of useful information. You can find all the information HERE.

Christmas Devices for children

As Christmas is approaching, many children and young people will be asking for new devices. It's important that parents think carefully about these devices and the parental features that are available. It's equally important parents think about what the device will be used for, e.g. an all-singing-all-dancing smartphone when it will only be used for messaging and the odd phone call, would a dumb phone be better?

Internet Matters has put together a couple of really good guides:

How to choose the right phone for your child - HERE

Children's tech guide 2023 - which has guides on a huge range of tech from laptops to gaming consoles, smart TV's and much more. The guides can be found HERE.

Parents Guide to WhatsApp

As one of the most popular messaging apps used by all age ranges and around 2.7 billion monthly users, WhatsApp has been adding new features over the last year or so which some parents may not be aware of. Internet Matters have put together a really good 'how-to' guide for parents which you can access HERE.

Parents - Guide to Snapchat MyAI

Chatbots are springing up everywhere now, including within apps that children and young people use, and there have been some concerns over the ethics, the information and guidance that is being given by the chatbot and more, particularly in relation to guidance that is age appropriate, privacy concerns and misinformation.

Wayne Denver has put together a really useful updated article for parents explaining what the chatbot is, how it works, the issues and some tips for parents. You can find the article HERE.

Helping Children Create a Kinder World Online

At the moment there seems to be so much hate online and being reported in the media. In this article from Internet Matters, 3 experts discuss how to create a kinder world online to promote positivity and kindness. You can see the Internet Matters article HERE.

Keeping Safe Online - A Guide for Parents and Carers

The Community Safety Team, within Public Health and Communities at Suffolk County Council, have produced a resource aimed to support parents understanding and to raise awareness of Online Safety in relation to Preventing Radicalisation. You can view this guide HERE. There is also a fact sheet which can be viewed HERE.

Protecting Children from Explicit Content

It is easy for any person, any age, to stumble across inappropriate and explicit content online and for parents this can be challenging. Internet Matters have a range of resources available to help parents including:

• Tips and tools for website/content filtering.

• What to do if your child sees explicit content.

• Resources for further help and support.

You can see all the sections HERE.

Additionally, 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 HERE.

WhatsApp Guide

Even though WhatsApp has an age restriction of 16+ it is the most popular messaging app from Y4/5 upwards. Over the last year or so WhatsApp have introduced new features. You can find the article/guide HERE.

Fortnite Guidance

Epic Games (which includes Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League) provide some really useful features for parents to manage their child's gaming experience. This includes 'cabined accounts'  which are accounts where the child is under 13 and certain restrictions are applied by default, e.g. talking to other players. You can find further details and instructions from Internet Matters HERE.

Conversation Starters

One of the more common questions in relation to Online Safety is, "How do I start that conversation with my child?" Early and continuing conversations is important and should not be any different from any other normal conversation. Advice from a parent who finds some topics difficult said those conversations are reserved for the school run in the car - in other words there is no direct eye contact so the conversation for adult/child can be easier.

To help parents, Internet Matters have put together some conversation starters and tips to help which you can find HERE.

YouTube Supervised Accounts

YouTube Supervised Experience is really easy to set up and gives parents much greater flexibility in managing the content their children are watching on YouTube. 

HERE is a page which has 5 very simple videos showing you how to set up and use Supervised Experience, YouTube Kids (which also has new settings). 

Snapchat AI

In a bid to keep up with everyone else, Snapchat introduced their AI chatbot a few months ago by default into users accounts. You don't get a choice, it can't be turned off unless you pay! 

Lots of teenagers are using Snap MyAI for a variety of reasons such as boredom and loneliness. There can be positives, but on the flip side there are always negatives, such as inappropriate content, misinformation (AI is only as good as the data it's trained on), privacy and much more. Even Snapchat admits that the AI can be tricked into saying pretty much anything.

There's a really good article explaining Snap MyAI which you can read HERE.

Samsung Kids Parental Controls

Samsung Kids is a parental feature which you can set up on your child's device which can be used to apply restrictions such as app access, downloading, screen time, privacy and more. It's really easy to set up and use and will help you to manage your child's online activity.

To learn more, including a setup guide, see HERE.

Supporting Young Girls' Wellbeing.

From managing screen time, the fear of missing out and body image. All these and more can affect the wellbeing of children. Internet Matters have put together a great series of articles for parents and, although aimed at 9-10 year old girls, it is worthwhile for all older and younger children, boys and girls.

You can see the advice page HERE.

Updated Supervision Features for FB Messenger and Instagram - 13th September 2023

In June 2023 Meta rolled out some new parental features for FB Messenger and Instagram. As of 30th August these updates are now available globally.

Specific updates for Messenger:

• View how much time the child spends on the app.

• Updates on their contact list.

• Notification if the child reports someone.

• View who can message their child.

• View who can see their child's stories.

Specific updates for Instagram:

• Before being able to message someone who doesn't follow them, people must now send a text only invite to connect. No further interaction can take place unless the recipient accepts the invite.

In all these are quite positive steps, there is further information HERE.

Discord Family Center - 13th September 2023

Discord used to be popular with gamers, now it's hugely popular amongst non-gamers too. Discord has recently added some features to support parents to keep their children safe.

Essentially, like many other apps, Discord now has a Family Center. Once set up parents can see:

• What servers (chat rooms) their children have joined or participated in.

• Everyone they've messaged.

• New users they've connected with.

You can read more about these functions and limitations HERE, and THIS page will show parents how to set up Family Center.

Apps to Help Kids Get Active - 7th July 2023

In this beautiful weather we're having and with the summer break just around the corner it's important that we all get outside and soak up the goodness. This can be difficult for parents whose children seem super-glued to their devices so Internet Matters have put together a useful advice page with a list of different apps for children of all ages to get them motivated. You can find the advice page HERE.

Limiting Harm from Upsetting Content (KS1/2) - 16th June 2023

Childnet have a great free resource, including activities for younger children to help them respond if they see upsetting content online and the importance of talking to a trusted adult. You can download the resources HERE.

Activities for Parents and Children - 9th June 2023

 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. All of these are free and you can see the full range HERE.

The Cyber Helpline - Parent and Student Guides - 9th June 2023

The Cyber Helpline are a charitable organisation in the UK who are focussed on helping and supporting victims of cyber crime. There is a lot of useful information on their website, including a page full of guides and a wide range of topics from malware, cyber bullying and harassment, unauthorised access (e.g. if your gaming account has been hacked) and much more. All the guides are free and can be downloaded HERE.

Virtual Reality - 26th May 2023

Children using virtual reality (VR) headsets is very much in a minority but some children who are using VR generally say it is a very positive, fun experience. But as with anything there are risks, so Childnet have put a great blog together for parents to understand what VR is, age restrictions and considerations. You can find the blog HERE.

ChatGPT - 26th May 2023

Have you heard of ChatGPT, maybe you've dabbled in it? Whilst the capabilities are extraordinary, 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.

Online Identity - 26th May 2023

Who we are in the real world is not always who we are online, but our online identity is important for a multitude of different reasons, e.g. risk management, employment. Internet Matters and Dr. Linda Papadopoulos have a series of 6 short videos plus some guides which discuss the pressures that children face online and developing their online identity. You can find the resources HERE.

Omegle Guidance - 26th May 2023

On first glance, Omegle is a simple internet chatroom; however, it has no registration or account system. It was designed with the innocent objective of getting strangers to talk to each other, but this allows under-18s to easily use the platform, without needing parental assistance, money or even an email address. This already creates a dangerous situation to young pupils, but its insistence on users needing a webcam to chat places anyone underage in an extremely vulnerable place. To find out more about Omegle and the risks it poses, please follow the links below: 

Internet Matters: https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/what-is-omegle-what-parents-need-to-know/
Childnet: https://www.childnet.com/blog/what-is-omegle-key-things-parents-and-carers-need-to-know/

Hanni and the magic window - 19th May 2023
Helping young children in difficult situations to seek support has always been hard. ChildNet has released a downloadable story over on their site, aimed at children aged three and up. Their objective is to make them aware of how to seek help. You can find simplified resources around the story, as well as the story itself HERE.

Cyber Security - 5th May 2023

The security of our devices and data cannot be under-estimated. With hacking, identity theft, impersonation, fraud and scams all on the increase it is important that everybody has an awareness of cyber security. Internet Matters have a great article with lots of advice and guidance around a range of cyber security topics for parents/carers and their children including phishing, doxxing, cryptojacking and much more, all in a non-techie easy-to-understand format. You can find the article HERE.

Gaming - 28th April 2023

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.

Additionally, Andy Robertson from Ask About Games has some family guides which you may find really useful. You can find all the guides HERE.

VR Headset - 31st March 2023

Virtual reality (VR) headsets have become popular over recent years and you may have one already or be considering one as a gift for your child. A VR headset is a device that you wear over your eyes, like a pair of goggles. It is used to give you a 3D experience, meaning that you can see all around you in virtual reality. But what is virtual reality? You can find our further information and guidance HERE.

Video Games and Reading - 24th March 2023

Although many people talk about the negatives of gaming, playing games also has its benefits such as teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking and so much more, including reading. This is particularly true for those children who are reluctant to read or who are struggling. Andy Robertson from Ask About Games has put together a great little selection of games which you can find HERE.

Parent Conversation Starters - 17th March 2023

Parenting the digital world is difficult, no-one can deny that. For many of us we didn't grow up in a world of technology, therefore we don't have 'lived experience', we're just trying our best. One of the many questions regularly asked is, "How do I start the conversation?"

The Internet Watch Foundation put together a brilliant guide for parents. You can find the guide HERE. Additionally, SWGfL have some great social media checklists which would be useful for students and parents HERE.

Digital Parenting Pro - 10th March 2023

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.

TikTok - New Screentime Settings - 10th March 2023

Last week TikTok announced that over the coming weeks a new update to the app will automatically set up a 60-minute time limit for users under 18, if users wish to extend this they will have to input a code.

To read more click HERE and there is a good 'Guardian's Guide' from TikTok HERE.

The Impact of Dual-Screening - 27th January 2023

Dual-screening is simply when someone uses multiple devices or screens at once. Internet Matters have put a good article together which will be useful to understand what dual-screening is, the research, the impact and some guidance. You can view the article HERE.

Fortnite Parental Controls - 27th January 2023

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 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.

New Resource - 5 to 8 Year Olds - Jack Changes the Game- 20th January 2023

CEOP have released a new learning activity and picture book (PDF) for 5 to 8 year olds which can be used in the classroom or by parent/carers at home. The book is all about online friends and how online friends are not always as they seem. You can see all the resources for free download HERE.

Find the Fake- 20th January 2023

Internet Matters have a great little quiz for parents and children  to test your knowledge around areas such as fake news, disinformation, misinformation, and how to stop it from spreading. You can find the quiz HERE.

Epic Games Store Parental Controls - 20th January 2023

Epic is a games store and also games-playing platform where children can play games such as Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League. There are a number of good parental features available for under 13's which you may not know about including: chatting, in-app purchasing, inappropriate  content and more. HERE is a useful guide for parents.

Playstation Safety- 2nd December 2022

Sony Playstation and Internet Matters have got together and created a wonderful interactive quiz for children and parents to learn together how to make the most of Playstation settings for safer gaming. This is a great idea to get conversations going and for parents to learn more about the games which their children play. You can access the interactive quiz HERE.

Setting Up Devices- 2nd December 2022

With Christmas fast approaching, we know that some children will be getting new or upgraded devices and older devices may be handed to younger children. Therefore, it's important that parental controls are set in relation to the age of the child who will be using the device. Internet Matters covers all devices with very simple, easy-to-understand parental guides which you can find HERE. There are also some good console buying advice and tips HERE.

TikTok Raising Livestreaming Age- 25th November 2022

In an interesting development it looks like TikTok is raising the age in which users can livestream from 16 to 18 in the coming weeks. Additionally they are looking at the monetisation features within TikTok which will be restricted to over 18's in the future. How they will enforce this is anybody's guess, but as we all know livestreaming is a very significant, growing concern in relation to CSE so any step forward is a bonus.

On THIS page there is a great write-up on the currently available parental settings to help keep your children safe on TikTok and on THIS page there is information for parents giving further advice and guidance.

Webwise Resources- 18th November 2022

Webwise Ireland has got some fabulous, free resources for parents including talking points, tips and more, all of which can be downloaded from HERE. Their guides and resources are there to help you get to grips with children's internet use and also to explore the issue of internet safety with your children.

Roblox - 11th November 2022

Roblox is a massively popular game with children and younger teens and it has recently come under a lot of criticism in relation to apparent financial exploitation, inappropriate content and grooming amongst others. HERE is a guide to Roblox for parents from Wayne Denner.

WhatsApp Fact Sheet - 11th November 2022

WhatsApp has become a popular messaging application. However, it comes with a number of risks including: Bullying, particularly in group chats; Seeing content of a sexual nature, or showing violence and hatred; Settings that allow messages to disappear after 24 hours or 7 days. This could make it harder to track bullying, and your child might share things they wouldn’t otherwise because it’ll disappear; Sharing their live location, particularly with people they don’t know in person; Spam or hoax messages; Being exposed to strangers through group chats.

Althought WhatsApp says the minimum age to use it is 16, younger children can still use it easily. Why not click HERE to see 6 steps you can take to help your child use it safely.

Cyber Security - 4th November 2022

As well as schools having a good understanding of cyber security, it is really important for parents and children too. Internet Matters have put together a really good, simple article so that parents can learn more about cyber security which you can access HERE. There is also Cyber Sprinters for children aged 7-11. You can find further details of Cyber Sprinters  HERE.

Online Safety Resources (by age) - 14th October 2022

Internet Matters are continually bringing out new, updated resources for schools and for parents. They have recently put together 3 useful pages which contain a parent pack, common online safety issues, top apps and platforms and a few resources, all split by age to make things easier. You can find a link to each page below:

Early Years - click HERE.                    Primary - click HERE.                    Secondary - click HERE.

Helping Children with SEND to have Positive Experiences Online - 7th October 2022
Internet Matters have shared some expert reviews to help parents and their children have positive online experiences. You can find the link the expert panel HERE and please consider sharing this with your parents.

Online Safety for 4-7 year olds - 30th September 2022

This is a great website for younger children; we use this in our ‘Me and the World’ lessons. The song from ‘Jessie and Friends’ is rather catchy and may be an earworm, but sums up online safety beautifully. https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/jessie-and-friends-videos/ 

Online Bullying - 23rd September 2022
Online bullying is a concern for many parents, online can often be a hidden aspect of many children's lives and children will not always talk if they are being bullied. Internet Matters have put some expert tips together for parents which are split by ages. You can access them HERE.