Internet Safety
Today, children are becoming increasingly more familiar with and reliant on technology in their everyday life. Whilst accepting the rate of change when it comes to new technologies, we want to ensure that while they’re online or accessing an app we keep our children safe. ..
The internet can be an exciting resource of information and entertainment but it does present some risks for young people. There is a huge amount of information to support parents/carers and schools, providing information and tips to ensure our young people keep themselves as safe as possible when online. To help you, we thought we'd share a few ideas to get you started:
1) Talk to your child – talk to your child about keeping safe online and when using apps. especially Social Media. Some apps include location devices so that anyone using the app can see who else is nearby – check the settings. Explain that if they see something they don’t like they need to speak to someone or block people who are unkind or are unsure of who they might be.
2) Be share aware – what information are they sharing with friends and the wider community. Is this information safe and can other people see it?
3) Set up parental controls – you know what it’s like, you click a link and suddenly something you hadn’t expected appears on the screen – this could be a completely innocent image, but it might not be. Most internet and mobile phone providers will allow you to set up parental controls to limit the chances of children stumbling on anything unsuitable.
Below are some useful links to online resources and information to help you keep your children safe online:
The National Parent Forum of Scotland
These three documents are particularly informative:
The website www.childnet.com has lots of useful advice about how to support young people to use the internet sensibly and safely.
You can click on the banner below to access the website.
Helpful resources include the following pamphlet detailing handy tips about steps parents/carers can take to keep their child safe online:
Childnet Information and Advice
The organisation Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) has produced the following resources aimed at parents/carers outlining the risks that children may face when using the internet.
Each link below provides excellent resources produced by CEOP
Risks children face online – Cyberbullying
Risks children face online – Grooming
Risks children face online – Inappropriate Websites
The NSPCC have produced some online saftey guides which can help keep children safe when online and using the internet. By clicking the NSPCC logo below, you will be taken to their website where you can access these resources.
The links below provide more Online safety information from the NSCPP:
Social Media and Online safety
