Online safety

St Hilda’s School is committed in assisting parents and carers to cope with e-safety, in line with guidance from School Improvement Liverpool.

Please click here to view a Parents guide to online safety

Please access the Children’s Commissioner Report entitled ‘Growing up Digital’ please click here

Please click here for attached a guide to some of the many apps that are massively used by young people and children that you may find useful if you are a parent. It details the age restrictions for the app and a brief description of what it can be used for. Obviously it is only the tip of the iceberg but it may well start the ball rolling.

There are a few apps that aren’t on there that are also a worry if you are the parent of a primary school aged pupil such as MovieStarPlanet and Music.aly that are extremely popular as they children can make their own videos/sing along with songs and be recorded but they are well known for being used by predators.

Useful checklists for keeping young people safe online

online-safety-guide-for-parents

facebook-checklist
instagram-checklist
netflix-checklist
roblox-checklist-new
snapchat-checklist
tiktok-checklist
twitter-checklist-2020

Safer Internet Day 2023

Safer Internet Day 2023 will take place on the 7th of February 2023, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’.

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the celebration sees thousands of organisations get involved to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

In the UK, we are celebrating by putting children and young people’s voices at the heart of the day and encouraging them to shape the online safety support that they receive.

That is why we are asking parents, carers, teachers, government, policymakers, and the wider online safety industry to take time to listen to children and young people and make positive change together.

This year we are hoping to answer the following questions:

What issues really matter to children and young people?
What changes do they want to see?
How can we all work together to advocate for them moving forward?

With your help, Safer Internet Day 2023 can be a springboard for conversations that shape how we talk about and respond to online issues, not just for one day, but throughout the whole year.

About Safer Internet Day

Over the years, Safer Internet Day has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. Starting as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe network as one of its earliest actions in 2005, Safer Internet Day has grown beyond its traditional geographic zone and is now celebrated in approximately 170 countries worldwide.

From cyberbullying to social networking to digital identity, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns.

ONLINE SAFETY

Dear parent/carer,

We have been offered free workshops for parents/carers and access to a parent hub that will help safeguard families from gaming and gambling related harms.

Please visit the link below for further information and to sign up.

https://parents.ygam.org/workshops/

Roy Bellmon
Deputy Headteacher Curriculum and Safeguarding

What you need to know about…

To view these posters as a PDF, simply click on the image.

Safer Internet Day 2022

Safer Internet Day 2022 is on the 8th of February and will be celebrated with the theme ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’.

Safer Internet Day 2022 celebrates young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that is whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers.

Speaking with young people is key to exploring their experiences on platforms where they can play games, interact with their peers and others, and take part in ‘live’ experiences such as video streaming. These platforms play such an important and positive role, providing young people with the means to interact with friends and as a great pastime, particularly during lockdowns.

However, there are some emerging safety issues in these spaces as well as issues young people have been navigating for some time; particularly the lack of respect individuals display towards each other, groups ‘ganging up’ against other groups, and the sense that it is easy to ‘get away’ with negative behaviour such as meanness, bullying and swearing. They speak about hate directed at particular groups, particularly LGBT+ users, and misogyny on gaming platforms. They tell us the apparent lack of consequences for negative behaviour has an impact on their safety and wellbeing.

We need to address these issues so that all young people understand what constitutes respectful behaviour online, and know what to do if they encounter hate or bullying directed at them or someone else.

As a school, we have planned activities for students in their ICT lessons. There is also a lot of guides, resources and advice on the UK Safer Internet Centre to help keep your child safe online. This can be accessed using the following link:

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s safety online, or need any advice, please do not hesitate to contact school where staff will be able to help you.

Roy Bellmon
Deputy Headteacher – Curriculum and Safeguarding Lead

Talking to your child about online sexual harassment

Dear parents/carers,

You may find this report and guide for parents/carers useful when talking to your daughter/son.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help you or if you have any concerns.

Mr Roy Bellmon – Deputy Headteacher Curriculum and Safeguarding

The things I wish my parents had known…about online sexual harassment (Children’s Commissioner)

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza DBE, has recently published a guidance document for parents helping to support them to understand online sexual harassment. It is a sensitive topic, and not one all parents feel comfortable discussing with their children.

The commissioner’s team brought together a group of 16 – 21 year olds and asked them talk about what they think parents should know, and what they should say to their children when talking about sexualised bullying and the pressures of growing up online.

Key advice from the young adults in the focus groups included:

Start conversations early, before your child gets a phone or social media account. Keep the conversation going over time, adapting to your child.
Young people want their parents to learn about new technology and trends, including risky behaviours and dangerous spaces online.
Create a safe and trusting home environment. Young people told us the home environment is key, they want to share things with their parents but don’t always feel able.

The report and poster ‘The things I wish my parents had known…’ can be downloaded here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/talking-to-your-child-about-online-sexual-harassment-a-guide-for-parents/

TALK campaign – Advice regarding on-line grooming

Please find details of the new TALK campaign from the Internet Watch Foundation

A new IWF safety campaign aims to help parents have conversations with their children about keeping their ‘door’ closed to child sexual abusers. The campaign includes a booklet for parents, explaining the risks, explaining why children are vulnerable, and suggests practice steps that parents can take.

The mnemonic used in the campaign is TALK:

TALK to your child about online sexual abuse. Start the conversation – and listen to their concerns.
AGREE ground rules about the way you use technology as a family.
LEARN about the platforms and apps your child loves. Take an interest in their online life.
KNOW how to use tools, apps and settings that can help to keep your child safe online.

For further details go to: https://talk.iwf.org.uk/

LGfL – DigiSafe

A collection of information sources which are really useful in helping parents to keep their child safe online. To view, please click here.

The Marie Collins Foundation – Sexual Abuse on line – Parents leaflet ‘How Can I Help My Child?’

In this booklet you will find information about what online harm is and ways you can effectively help and support your children. To view, please click here.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP)

CEOP is a command of the National Crime Agency.

To visit the CEOP website, please click here.

UK Safer Internet Centre

At the UK Safer Internet Centre, you can find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online.

The UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading organisations: Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL, with one mission – to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for young people.

To visit the UK Safer Internet Centre website, please click here.

internet matters.org – supporting families online

Helping parents keep their children safe online. Get expert support and practical tips to help children benefit from connected technology and the internet safely and smartly.