Online Safety
The Internet has become part of our everyday lives and is now easier to access then ever before, but using the Internet can also have risks.
Children and young people are more at risk of exposure to inappropriate or criminal behaviour if they are unaware of the dangers.
These dangers can include:
- viewing unsuitable content e.g. hate material, adult content, sites that endorse unhealthy behaviour
- giving out personal information
- arranging to meet an online ‘friend’
- becoming involved in, or the victim of, bullying, identity theft, or making and sending indecent or illegal images
- spending too much time online which can affect concentration, education, sleep and health
- copying information from the Internet or buying work from other people to use as their own.
Parents, who are finding that their children know far more about the internet and its strange codes and languages than they do, can rest easier for help is at hand.
Whether on a computer at school, a laptop at home, a games console, tablet or mobile phone, children and young people are increasingly accessing the internet whenever they can and wherever they are.
As you would protect your child in the real world, you will want to make sure that they are safe whatever they are doing. Like learning to cross the road, online safety skills are skills for life. If your child understands the risks and can make sensible and informed choices online, they can get the most from the internet and stay safe whilst doing so, particularly from those people who might seek them out to harm them.
Keeping your child safe online
Here are some tips and useful links to help keep your children safe online.
- Use dbPrimary. All children at Park Road have access to our dbPrimary learning platform where they can write their own blog, send emails, contribute to forums and share favourite pieces of work in a safe online environment. There is a link to log in at the top of every page of the website.
- Explore e-safety sites. There are lots of e-safety sites that are great fun to explore, such as :-
- Thinkuknow
- Kid Smart
- Know IT All
- Staying Safe
- Keep your computer in a shared area. Talk to your child about what they are doing online and, if possible, set up your computer in a shared area at home.
- Social Networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Bebo, YouTube, Twitter). Many of these sites have a minimum age limit of 13 so children at Park Road should not be using them. They do not offer the same amount of protection as dbPrimary, allowing children to communicate with anyone.
- Internet Safety Guidelines document provides parent/carer advice on Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp and TikTok that you might find useful to read before considering allowing your child to use them.
- 6 ways to help keep your children safe whilst using YouTube
Online gaming
- Xbox Live/Playstation Online Gaming
If a games console or PC is used for online gaming your children may have access to chat and speak to people online. Please be aware of this and supervise your child accordingly. Both Xbox and Playstation have parental settings where you can control what is, and isn't, allowed. The following websites provide further information.
Report it!
Reporting Suspicious Behaviour
To report suspicious behaviour online with or towards a child go to
- The CEOP website
- The Virtual Global Taskforce website
www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com
Report harmful content
https://reportharmfulcontent.com/advice/other/further-advice/advice-for-parents/?lang=en
Further information
Information Leaflets
- The Smart Rules that your child is taught at school to keep them safe.
- A leaflet on Internet Safety.
Follow CHILDNET'S SMART rules: 5 Top Tips to Stay Safe Online!
ThinkUKnow
We recommend the nationally-acclaimed ThinkUKnow scheme. The scheme highlights the importance of online safety and promotes use of the "Report Abuse" botton to report illegal or inapporpriate online behavior.
Online Safety Policy and Parental Guides