E-Safety
• ‘1 in 5 kids play internet games with people they haven’t
met in person.’ (www.Internetmatters.org, 2014)
• ‘The average 8-11 year old has 92 social networking
friends.’ (www.Internetmatters.org, 2014)
• ‘21% of 8 to 11 year olds have been deliberately targeted,
threatened or humiliated by an individual or group through
the use of mobile phone or the internet.’
(www.thinkuknow.co.uk, 2014)
• ‘57% of parents don’t use any parental control settings on
their home computers.’ (www.Internetmatters.org, 2014)
• ‘Early use of computers has been shown to
improve language skills and promote
children’s social development and creativity,’
(www.Internetmatters.org, 2014)
• Improved hand eye coordination
• Development of critical thinking and problem
solving skills.
Unfortunately, there are potential dangers for children that use
the internet . These include but are not limited to;
• Cyberbullying - when a person or group of people use technology to ‘bully’
others such as sending abusive messages, emails or texts, posting hurtful
comments or pictures etc.
• Online Reputation - We call this a person’s ‘digital footprint’. This is formed
through a person’s use of the internet. Every time a person uses the
internet whether to visit a website, buy something online, post a
comment or photograph to a social networking site a record is kept of this
information. This builds a picture or ‘footprint’ of that person that is very
difficult to change or remove therefore it is important that children
develop an awareness of their ‘online reputation’.
• This is not something that should affect young children but if we instill a
sense of responsibility in our children from an early age it will hopefully
help them to continue to conduct themselves appropriately online as
teenagers and young adults. Children should be aware that the same
behavioural expectations that are expected of them in the real world also
apply to them when in the online world.
• Online Grooming - this is a real danger as through the use of the internet
people can disguise who they are easily by using made up or stolen
personal information and profile picture. Unfortunately people have been
known to use the internet as a way of contacting children and befriending
them in order to take sexual advantage of them.
• Children must be aware of the very important rule that they should never
give out any personal information on the internet that includes their
name, their address, phone numbers, what school they go to etc.
• Inappropriate Content - so much information is posted on the internet on
a daily basis and people are free to contribute information at there will.
Therefore it is no surprise that children may come across information that
is inappropriate or unsuitable for them in one way or another. It is
important that children are taught how to deal with this issue should it
occur. Close the site or program and tell a responsible adult.
In today’s society children begin using technology from a very early such as
exploring apps on a parent or siblings smart phone. It is equally important
that e-safety principles are encouraged from this early age to ensure that
children develop an awareness of the dangers of using the internet. Doing
this will help children to begin to independently recognise warning signs and
adhere to safety principles. Below are some easy steps to follow to help your
children explore internet based technology safely.
• Set parental controls on all internet devices. This may include a desktop
computer, laptop, tablet, smart phone or games console etc.
• Use passwords on all devices as this ensures that children can only use
them with your permission and only for as long as you permit them to do
so.
• Set search engines and home pages to child friendly sites such as
www.kidrex.co.uk www.swiggle.co.uk or www.kidsearch.com
•
Be involved - Play and explore the internet with your child. Help them to recognise
suitable sites or apps for themselves and to develop their own awareness of safety.
Ask your children what it is they enjoy doing online and encourage them to show
you. Enjoy discovering new websites / games together to help your child recognise
that this is an activity they can share with you.
•
If possible have the desktop computer or laptop stored in a central location within
the home rather than a bedroom, where it is easier to monitor what the internet is
being used for.
•
Ensure that you are aware of which devices in your home provide children with
access to the internet, nowadays the internet is not only accessed via a desktop
computer or laptop but through smart phone, tablets, games consoles, even TVs.
Children can sit in their own living room and play a game and talk to another
person on the other side of the world!
•
Teach children how to safe guard themselves online - it is important that children
are aware of their own safety and what they can do to protect themselves.
1.Do not give out any personal information online.
2.If you come across something online that you find upsetting close the program and
tell a responsible adult.
3.Behave online as you would be expected to behave in the real world.
Social networking is very popular. Online games ask us if we want to make friends with other ‘characters’, and
on social networking sites we have the option to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ friend requests. Allowing someone to be
your friend enables them to communicate with you, share things with you and often find out information
about you. When signing up to a social networking site users are asked to create a profile. This usually involves
name, date of birth and photograph. Social networking can be a fantastic resource for keeping in touch with
friends and family all over the world but again it does come with potential dangers.
Facebook and many other social networking sites, require users to be 13 in order to set-up an account,
therefore we strongly recommend that children under this age do not become involved with social networking.
However, we are aware that increasing numbers of children are registering on sites like Facebook, by claiming
to be older than they are. If you do choose to allow your child to engage in social networking then you may find
the tips below useful in safeguarding your child from the dangers it poses. The following information has been
taken from the e-safety awareness website www.thinkuknow.co.uk.
If your child is setting up a Facebook account, consider the following:
•
Help them to set up their account – make sure that they do not include any unnecessary personal
information.
•
Do not make them any older than 13. Facebook have separate security settings in place for younger users
•
Use your email address as the main contact – this way you can see the people who are ‘friending’,
messaging and commenting on your child’s profile.
•
Set privacy settings to ‘friends only’ and ensure that the friends they have are ones they know and trust in
the real world.
•
Limit the amount of adult ‘friends’ they have – these could be friends of yours or family members. These
users may post content which you would not want your child to see!
•
Talk to them about some of the things that can go wrong – such as bullying, unwanted contact and
inappropriate content.
•
Ask them to talk to you about anything that makes them feel unhappy.
•
Learn how to report any issues directly to the site.
•
If your child is already an underage user, revisit their profile with them and ensure that these steps have
been implemented; it is never too late to take control.
Parental controls give you, the parent, control over the internet content
that your child can access. They are a great method for preventing
children from accessing inappropriate content online but should not be
solely relied upon. Parental controls are not just about ‘locking and
blocking’ they are a tool for setting appropriate boundaries for children
that can be adapted as the child ages and matures. Children have
boundaries set in lots of aspects of their life and their online activity
should be no different. There are a number of different kinds of parental
controls for a number of devices. These may include;
 Filtering - a method of restricting access to particular sites and content.
 Time limits - a method of restricting the amount of time that children
can spend online or setting periods of time for access.
 Monitoring / reporting - where you can be informed about which
websites your child is attempting to gain access to or has previously
visited.
Most Internet providers offer a service that allows you to filter out
inappropriate content, restrict access to sites or programs and limit
access times on every device connected to your home network. The
majority of games consoles including Play station, X Box, tablets, smart
phones etc offer their own parental control settings.
• Many parents put off installing parental controls on their internet
devices because they think it will a be difficult or long task but it is
really not!
• The Internet safety website www.internetmatters.org offers guides
and helpful tips on where to find device specific information about
how to set up and install parental controls and the website
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Primary/Tools/Parentalcontrols/ offers video tutorials for activating FREE parental controls
from the most common internet providers.
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www.internetmatters.org
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.ceop.police.uk
www.chatdanger.com
www.digizen.org
www.kidsmart.org