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Online Safety
The Internet, whether accessed from a computer, mobile phone or other devices, has become embedded within modern family life. It is used to buy and sell goods, online banking, find information and socialising. It can also have a darker side with cybercrime, inappropriate material and illegal activity taking place online affecting both adults and children. Online Safety is concerned with the safeguarding of young people in the “digital” world and ensuring they feel safe when accessing new technology.
The Safeguarding Team work closely with Kent County Council Online Safety Officer to help students, parents/carers and teachers understand online dangers and how to combat them. The school recommends the nationally acclaimed ‘ThinkUKnow’ Internet safety scheme. The ThinkUKnow scheme from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) highlights the importance of online safety to children and parents and also encourages them to use the “Report Abuse” button which can be used to get help and advice and report illegal online behaviour.
CEOP is the UK’s lead law enforcement agency for protecting children from sexual abuse. If someone has acted inappropriately online towards your child, you or another young person you know, report it to CEOP.
Useful Links
INTERNET MATTERS
Internet Matters is an independent, not-for-profit organisation to help parents keep their children safe online.
PRIVACY SETTINGS
This article looks at privacy settings and how they can help your child to manage the content they share and who they connect with.
Privacy Settings Guide for Parents and Carers
CHILDNET
A non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children.
THINK U KNOW
Brought to you by the NCA’s CEOP Command, age appropriate advice and resources for Parents and Students
ThinkuKnow
ThinkuKnow has launched a brand new public awareness campaign. Through social media, articles, blogs, films and more, they want to get parents and carers thinking and talking about the importance of discussing sex, relationships and the internet with their children.
This is a three month campaign, and the new resource entitled “The world changes. Children don’t” is available now!
This short film tells the age-old story of Romeo and Juliet…with a modern twist. It shows how the lives of these young lovers might play out online today, including the Lark ‘tweeting’ and Romeo ‘friending’ Juliet.
Behind this contemporary remake is the message that, although technology and social media can seem overwhelming and forever evolving, children and young people don’t change. We try to remind parents that (just as when they were young), their children are still exploring and creating their identities, keeping up with their friends and dealing with adolescent pressures. Although much of this now happens online, we remind them that the kind of parental support and advice which keeps their children safe ‘in real life’ will keep them safer online too. The Thinkuknow resources can be a useful place to start in thinking about how they might frame these discussions.
- Watch and Share the film: ‘The world changes. Children don’t’
- Support the campaign on social media