Does your child have a computer in their bedroom?
Do they have access to the Internet?
Does your child know how to stay safe online?
1 in 10 children aged 8-11 who use the internet at home or elsewhere (8%) said they had
seen something online in the past year that was worrying, nasty or offensive, with 12-15s
being twice as likely to say this (18%). (Ofcom, Jan 2015)
Around 3 in 10 parents of 5-15s say they are concerned about their child being bullied
online/cyberbullying (30%) or who their child may be in contact with online (26%). (Ofcom,
Jan 2015)
Most parents of 5-15s who go online at home trust their child to use the internet safely
(83%), and feel that the benefits of the internet outweigh the risks (67%). (Ofcom, Jan 2015)
Today, our whole school assembly was about staying safe online and focused on
what cyberbullying is and how to deal with it.
Cyberbullying is bullying via technology. It can happen 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year.
The NSPCC have some great advice and a link to more information can be found on
the e-safety page of our school website. Here are some basic tips:
1. Keep the computer in a high-traffic area of your home.
2. Establish limits for which online sites children may visit and for how long.
3. Remember that Internet technology can be mobile, so make sure to monitor
mobile phones, tablets, gaming devices and laptops.
4. Surf the Internet with your children and let them show you what they like to do
online.
5. Know who is connecting with your children online and set rules for social
networking, instant messaging, e-mailing, online gaming, and using webcams.
6. Check the browser search history on a regular basis.
What to do if your child is being bullied...
1. Talk about bullying and cyberbullying
2. Make sure they know who to ask for help
3. Help them relax and take time out
4. Teach them how to stay safe online
5. Talk to your child's school or club
6. Take further action if the bullying continues
What to do if your child is the bully...
1. Calmly explain that what they're doing is unacceptable
2. Help them understand how what they've done feels - you could ask them how
they think the other child felt, or ask them how they felt when someone said
something unkind to them
3. Explain what you will do next, such as telling your child's school, and what you
expect them to do
4. Ask them whether they have any questions about why their actions need to
change.
The BBC interactive website iWonder – Am I a bully? helps children understand how
to spot bullying, why people bully, how it makes others feel and what to do if they
think they or a friend may be bullying others.
It's good to talk
Our children are precious to us. We all want them to grow up in a safe and loving
environment and become happy, confident adults. To get there they need to be
surrounded by positive influences, good advice and the knowledge that if they ever
need help and support there will be someone to talk to.
As a parent, it's you who they'll look to for help. And, as they're your child, it's up to
you to talk to them when you think they might need a nudge in the right direction or
to share news or information that's going to affect their lives.
How you start the conversation is going to depend on a lot of things, including how
old and mature your child is and what you want to talk about. Ultimately, it's always
going to be up to your judgement about the best way to tackle it but the NSPCC
have some really useful tips for how to start conversations with your child about
more 'difficult' topics such as death, abuse and bullying.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/talking-aboutdifficult-topics/
or click the link on the e-safety page on our school website.
Finally, ask your child to explain to you what SHOCK, BLOCK, TELL means...
Children who are able to
should use the ‘print screen’
key to make a copy of the
screen for evidence for the
website provider, especially
if the abuse is ongoing.