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Online Safety

If you have a safeguarding concern including online sexual abuse, grooming, exploitation or are worried about the way someone has been communicating online you can report this to Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP): 

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

Parents should be aware that there are age restrictions on social media platforms, and they may be held accountable for posts by children younger than the guidelines.

Report Remove Button

‘Report Remove’ supports young people to take down nudes shared online.
The Report Remove button is set up and managed by the NSPCC to help protect young people if nude photos/videos are shared online.
Students under the age of 18 can use this tool to assist in taking the images down and Childline can provide further support if needed.
Click the Report Remove link for further details.
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/report-remove/

 

Online bullying tips for young people

Sometimes people are mean online and spoil our fun. It can make us sad, unhappy and anxious to go online. Here are some tips to help you manage it.

  • Don’t respond: Try not to reply, no matter what they say. It gives them an excuse to carry on.
  • Save a copy: Take a screenshot to show someone what is happening and keep it as evidence.
  • Report: Tell the app or game so they can do something about it.
  • Block: Block them so they can’t contact you or play online with you.
  • Talk: Tell someone what is happening. It will make you feel better and there are people who can help you.
  • Parent tips for simple rules for home

It can be a minefield trying to manage our children online so here we have provided some straightforward things which you can put in place to help you keep them a little safer at home.

  • No tech in bedrooms (or tech with door open)
  • Keeping technology from behind closed doors reduces the likelihood they will search for inappropriate content.
  • Watch and learn about apps together
  • Learn about the apps and games they are interested in to better understand how it can be used positively but also to under the risks and how they manage them.
  • Periodically check what they are watching
  • YouTube and Netflix will show you what has been recently watched. Social media can be a little more difficult to check but encourage them to show you themselves.
  • Discuss together and agree boundaries
  • Keep talking about the good and the bad of being online, and explain why rules are necessary sometimes so they understand it’s about their safety not spoiling their fun.

Parental controls can be used to restrict access to inappropriate content and can help you manage their safety online at home. Guides are available from www.internetmatters.org or the useful links below to set up controls to filter content, limit screen time, restrict access to apps and manage who they can contact.

NSPCC- Talking to your child about online safety
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/talking-child-online-safety/

Parental Controls
Parental controls for YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, All 4 etc.
www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/entertainment-search-engines

Parental controls for smartphones, tablets and smart devices
www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/smartphones-and-other-devices

Parental controls for broadband and mobile networks
www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile

Google Family Link (Family Safety & Parental Control Tools)
https://families.google/familylink

Apple Family Sharing
www.apple.com/uk/family-sharing

Social Media
Snapchat: Family Centre Support
https://support.snapchat.com/en-GB/a/family-center

TikTok: Family Pairing
https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/tiktok-introduces-family-pairing

Social media privacy guide
www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media

Online hate: Facts & advice
www.internetmatters.org/issues/online-hate

Child-on-child abuse online: A guide for parents/carers
www.internetmatters.org/issues/online-child-on-child-abuse/#guidance-for-parents

Online reputation facts & advice: Expert tips to support children
www.internetmatters.org/issues/online-reputation

Gaming
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/gaming-consoles/

Stay Safe Videos

Online bullying for parents
https://youtu.be/PjyJ2uPlcm8

Indecent image sharing
https://youtu.be/QSkQYrIxvBI

Malicious communications
https://youtu.be/bgwLmg2ijZQ