Online Safety

Online Safety is an important part of keeping children safe at Short Heath Junior School . We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any e-Safety incidents are recorded and managed.  e-Safety is taught to all pupils explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online.
 

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the e-Safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.
It’s essential to be realistic - banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Education around safe use is essential.

GoCompare have compiled a guide to broadband parental controls and internet safety for children. Click on the link to find out more:

 https://www.gocompare.com/broadband/parental-controls/

This website has some very useful guides for parents:

Back to school online safety guides - Internet Matters

Visit an O2 Guru in store
O2 online safety Gurus are NSPCC trained advisors based in O2 stores across the UK. They can help you to set up a device so that it is safe for your child, including enabling parental controls. The service is free of charge regardless of your network. Book your appointment with an O2 Guru today.

https://guru.secure.force.com/O2DeskStoreLocator 

Search engines
Please note that no search engine is ever 100% safe but below provides some links to some “safer” search engines:

Research searching
http://www.swiggle.org.uk/

Google offers a safer search option for children searching on the Internet. You can find out how to do this by downloading the instructions at the bottom of the page. 

Image searching
http://www.pics4learning.com/

Gaming
When children are accessing games via Xbox LIVE, privacy settings can be set up.  To read more, click here -https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-GB/xbox-one-privacy-and-online-safety#8951e57ae4b34346af430b3b50e7e3a6

Websites for more information
Please click on the link to go to the relevant site:

Social Media Guide. Find out more about the safety features available on these popular social networks. 

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/social-media-guides

CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.
Vodafone have produced a Digital Parenting Magazine which informs parents about the various technologies children are accessing today. There is information on Facebook settings, Xbox 360 settings, Blackberry settings, jargon busting and many more 'How to Guides'. They are well worth a read and some are attached below for you to download. 

The “Thinkuknow” website is brought to you by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.

Recently, we have looked at the dangers of sexting and sending/posting inappropriate messages.

Click on the link below to take you to the thinkuknow website:

Kidsmart gives you lots of advice on how to stay safe online.
 

Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. 

ParentINFO is a collaboration between ParentZone and CEOP.  There are useful guides and articles on helping your child stay safe online.

Click on the links below to access resources and information to help keep you safe online.

Useful Guides from National Online Safety - click on the image to see the guide or click this link:

National Online Safety | Keeping Children Safe Online in Education

e-Safety updates

22.02.21

OMEGLE

Last year schools across the UK were warned about a well-known chat room, Omegle. Some schools issued warning to parents and carers urging them to talk to their children about these types of platforms.

Content from Omegle is now being shared by popular influencers which could encourage young people to visit this platform. We are aware of instances where popular influencers are livestreaming reaction videos of them using the platform.

Young people are likely to use these chat rooms and chat room apps because they seem fun, and the randomisation of people can be exciting. As young people spend so much more time online due to ongoing restrictions there is an increased chance that they will come across these sites.

The risks are:-

 -Young people are at risk of seeing distressing or highly sexualised imagery without warning

- They may be asked or pressured to remove clothing or reveal personal information

- They may be asked to have private conversations on other apps or platforms

- They may be sent malicious links or spam

Top tips:-

- Keep on engaging young people in a conversation about keeping safe online and who they would talk to if someone made them feel uncomfortable

- When talking to a child or young person it is best not to mention the website or app by name as it may increase the risk of them checking out the platform

• Submit an online report to CEOP

Old updates but still relevant:

09.09.19

It has been brought to our attention that some of our pupils are watching a cartoon on YouTube called Rick & Morty. This is NOT suitable for children to be watching as it is made for adult viewing and has adult content inc: Sex, Drugs, Alcohol etc. Please can you check that your child doesn't have access to this as parents are presuming it is just a cartoon.

26.02.19

Serious concerns have been raised recently about children using the Tik Tok app on their telephones or devices. Parents need to be aware that the app allows children to participate in live chats in chatrooms where the children do not know who they are chatting with. Please read the advice on this link from www. saferinternet.org.uk about the app
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/what-tiktok-looking-latest-lip-syncing-app 

17 January 2019

Chat Avenue - A Walsall primary has shared a concern regarding the above site where it appears that indecent pictures were sent to children - please be aware of what your child is accessing online.

06.12.18

Please find a leaflet for parents that has put together for parents, about the game Fortnite: Battle Royale, which is incredibly popular with young people at the moment.The leaflet is designed to be positive and informative, rather than scaring parents. There is advice about the content, how to turn off chat, and where to get help and support. The weblink to the booklet is here: http://bit.ly/fortniteleaflet

05.12.18

Please be aware of a You Tube fad called the '3am challenge', where children are dared to get up at that time and perform all sorts of challenges that are dangerous for young children.

09.11.18

A Youtuber called Chad Wild Clay posts Youtube videos that look and sound very child friendly but when you watch them they are actually about weapons - knives, knuckle gloves that can have blades attached, concealed knives in everyday objects.

The most concerning thing is that these videos are targeting younger children and there is no age restriction attached. The most concerning thing is that if parents glanced at the youtube video they would think it is suitable for their children to watch as it is just like the videos where children are opening surprise toys.

15.03.18

Please monitor the use of the game Roblox - we have been made aware of a very concerning incident locally of grooming of children (not at Short Heath).

14.03.18

Houseparty - Group Video Chat is a video-focused social media app. Friends (and friends of friends) can communicate with each other via live video and texts. Because there's no screening and the video is live, there's always the possibility of inappropriate content for children. Please consider making sure that children/young people are aware of the risks where appropriate.

We would like to make you aware of the YOTI app which has been verified as legitimate by the National Crime Agency.

Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation have come together to provide a service where children can request the removal of sexual images of themselves which have been shared online. As part of that process the child would be asked to provide a link to where the image is stored online, rather than send the image itself.

The child is also required to verify their identity and age which is done through the YOTI app. YOTI will not store images of the child’s ID following the verification process.

Below are a couple of online resources which contain details regarding this service:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/sexting - There is a section which covers what you can do if you’ve lost control of a sexual image and refers to the YOTI app.

https://contentreporting.childline.org.uk – This is the portal where you can report images and videos for take down and again refers to using the app to verify age.

01.02.18

YOU TUBE

YouTube can be an excellent resource for songs, stories and educational content. It has become a staple of our digital lives, but we need to be careful, as we would with any online content.

It has been brought to our attention that a number of our pupils have their own YouTube channels, where they share videos of themselves or their friends and family. It is a serious safeguarding concern if these videos are open to the public, as this means that they can not only be viewed by anyone, but also be commented on by anyone.
This could lead to the attention of online trolls, which can be an extremely unpleasant experience for those on the receiving end of vicious comments. The school social media policy therefore advocates that all videos that pupils upload to their YouTube accounts be made private. You can find out more by clicking on the link below:

http://www.real.com/resources/youtube-parental-controls/

Please remember that no parental controls are ever a substitute for a real parent. Make sure your child is near to you when using these, have a conversation about how to safely use this resource, and explain what to do if they see something that they are uncomfortable with.

Alternatively, there are children's apps including YouTube Kids, you may choose to try.

28.06.17 Another week, another app raising a safeguarding concern.

Last week, SnapChat, used regularly by many children and young people, launched a new feature. SnapMaps allows users to see the location of their contacts. This feature allows others to accurately pinpoint where you are. There are three possible privacy settings:

• Ghost mode, where only you can see your position;
• My Friends mode, where any contact can see your location; and
• Select Friends mode, just those who you choose can see you

ChildNet have posted a thorough explanation of SnapMaps and how to ensure users stay safe. Well worth a read to share with anyone you know who uses the app.

Further reading: Introducing SnapMaps (ChildNet)

15.05.17 We have been made aware of an Online game called ‘Blue Whale’. We would like to inform parents that this game is not suitable for children.  This game includes dangerous tasks that need to be completed. 

Please be vigilant and discuss your child’s internet usage with them regularly.