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E-Safety
Updates - March 2023
It's hard to keep up with the changes in technology. Here is some useful information about different apps and online platforms -
Omegle
Free online chatroom advertised as a platform where you can “chat with random strangers online”. Omegle pairs users at random allowing them to chat via video or chat. There is no registration process or age verification.
What is Omegle? What parents need to know | Internet Matters
Sendit app
Combination app used in conjunction with Snapchat and Instagram where followers can anonymously respond to private messages. The App costs £8.99 and encourages its users to spend money. Due to being anonymous it is harder to identify perpetrators.
What is the Sendit app? The risks of companion apps | Internet Matters
Roblox
Roblox can be a safe gaming platform for children of all ages however it also has a dark side which is often hidden. Some of the risks in relation to Roblox include; unknown adults using the chat room to contact children for the purposes of grooming, exposed to sexualised avatars, inappropriate language being bypassed and used within the game.
Parent Alert: Is Roblox Safe for Kids? Watch Out for These 4 Dangers | Defend Young Minds™️
Addiction
Gaming addiction is now recognised by the World Health Organisation as a clinical disorder. There’s are increasing concerns around children as young as 8 developing addictions to pornography hugely impacting psychological and developmental well-being. Pornography and inappropriate content online is only a click away.
Top tips
- Be curious about what your child does online. If your child uses Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok or any other social media platforms, there is a chance they also use third party companion apps.
- Monitor use of social media. Have set times where your child is allowed to use their phone or electronic device.
- Check browsing history on devices.
- Play together, help set healthy limits. Actively find a variety of activities for children to consume online.
- Ensure parental controls are active and up to date.
- Parental controls offered by your home internet provider - UK Safer Internet Centre
- Parental controls - UK Safer Internet Centre
E-Safety information for parents
Katy Potts, Computing and E-Safety lead for Islington was in school on 19th January 2023 and talked to some parents about the following topics –
KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe In Education 2022 document) categorises risks into 3 main areas – content, contact, conduct
Content – what are your children doing? Risk of being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content
Contact – who are your children communicating with? Risk of being exposed to harmful online interaction with others
Conduct – how do your children behave online? Risk of being involved in inappropriate online behaviour
Key messages/important advice –
Primary school children don’t need a brand new phone. If you want them to have a phone, give them an old one – all they need to be able to do is call you and for you to call them
Beware of WhatsApp. The legal age is 16. Children can be added into groups without their consent sometimes meaning they will communicate with people/children they do not know, children often say silly things in a chat which can quickly escalate and get out of hand – lead to bullying etc
Buy your child an alarm clock and then they won’t need to rely on their phone so no need for phone in bedroom
Agree rules before giving your child a phone/devise. Eg No phones in bedrooms at night, no phones/devices at dinner time, parent to check phones daily – messages, content etc
Stick to your agreed rules as a family – if you don’t want your child to play a particular game even if all their friends are and your child is getting upset, stick to your rules
Have regular conversations about being safe online and appropriate things to do online etc
Agree amount of screen time daily – phone, ipad, other device – think about damage to eyesight and posture – there has been an increase in problems with children’s posture as they are hunched over looking at a screen
Set up and manage parental controls at home – if you are not sure how to do this, seek help from a friend or family member
Useful websites –
https://www.internetmatters.org/schools-esafety/parent-online-support-pack-teachers/
Click on the link to take you to our policies -
DfE Online Safety Guidance for Parents and Children
Our E-Safety Scheme of Work
Every class begins each half term with an e-safety lesson. We follow a scheme of work to ensure progression and adequate coverage of e-safety topics. At St-Luke's we take e-safety very seriously and it is well-embedded and ongoing throughout the school year. Our scheme of work is below. Also come along to our e-safety coffee mornings for parents to share concerns and learn about how to effectively support your child.
Child friendly safe searching
We highly recommend setting your home computer web browser to http://www.kidrex.org/ - a child-friendly web browser sponsored by Google for worry free and safe internet searches by children.
YouTube Kids
Allowing children unlimited access to YouTube can lead to viewing of inappropriate content often by accident. Make your child's viewing safe by downloading the new YouTube kids APP onto your ipad or PC. The APP allows for age appropriate parental controls and allows children to search content with peace of mind.
Set up safe parental controls
When purchasing your child's first device it can be quite overwhelming for parents on how to set up parental controls and privacy settings. Internet Matters have simplified this for you with 70 simple 'how to' guides on how to set up parental controls across all major networks, devices, services and entertainment providers.
Go to: www.internetmatters.org/setupsafe
The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices. However, the internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge.