A recent study by the National Citizen Service found that 58% of young people have felt jealous, negative or insecure because of social media, with 24% saying they felt negative about themselves because they did not look like their friends. www.saferinternet.org.uk

American academic, Marc Prensky has discussed the concept of children being the ‘digital natives’ on an island being able to speak the language and understand the customs very quickly. Parents, on the other hand, are the ‘digital immigrants’ and find it very hard to adapt to the new world.

The Challenge and some Facts

E-Safety for Parents and Carers

abbreviations

Hot or Not: Strangers rate your profile. Goal is to lead to meeting up

Burn Book: Post anonymous rumours about people through audio messages, texts and photos Omegle: A free

online chat website that promotes chatting anonymously to strangers.

Fake Calculator: Secret Photo Vault Ask a question and get

an answer from an anonymous source

-Various websites, games, forums where children can talk to many others/be targeted and contacted/groomed.

-Children’s vulnerability to social media and measuring self-esteem against this (mental health and well being).

-Access to more video content (Netflix, Amazon Prime, You Tube than ever before). Remember just 4 channels!

-Technology experts who have never known a world without an online footprint.

-More pictures shared and stored on more devices. -Legal ramifications to online activity. -Developing a healthy lifestyle started in childhood. -Developing a healthy understanding of relationships.

“Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.

Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as mobile

phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools

including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.”

Bullies will target individuals in many ways including: -Uploading information to social networking sites -Creating anonymous posts targeting individuals -Setting up group sites for different people to make hateful comments How is it different from other types of bullying? -It can be 24/7 and causes continued upset -It can be seen by many different people -Victims may be unaware of who is posting the information

Molly Russell Breck Bednar

• Ensure security measures are high on computer based devices. (Including filtering on broadband.)

• Have a time-limit on usage of devices. (digital detox days) • Limited time on devices in privacy. • Don’t give your child your credit card details. • Reflect on your own devices/internet usage and consider

the message this sends to your child. • Consider password sharing. • Education and Understanding. • Discussing the challenges and keeping communication

lines open and maintaining trust.

• Discuss the risks of online activity. • Discuss the reasons why security precautions are necessary and why

you have installed them on devices. • Discuss what to do if something happens that worries them and

where to go to get help. • Make sure there are no circumstances that would lead them to think

they can’t discuss something with you. • Discuss real life scenarios with them and explore how they can deal

with them. And if there is a personality change, a distance or if something simply doesn’t feel right… • Speak to others (family, friends, teachers…)

TAKE ACTION!

• Units of work in computing. • Real life safety scenarios on a regular basis

linked to e-safety. • Focus weeks on a yearly basis. • Staff training on e-safety and links with child

protection and safeguarding. • Philosophy 4 Children. • PSHCE curriculum (including I:Space)

https://h2bsafetycentre.com/h2usethis/ -Helpful advice. -Step by step instructions on how to stay safe within different apps including video tutorials.

H2b Safer