Healthy Transitions Peer-led Programme
E-Citizenship SUPPORT
Your child has been involved in an educational programme looking
at E-citizenship and online safety. It’s important to know where your
children are going online and what they are doing. Ask your child to
show you the basics and talk to them about who they are talking to or
socialising with online.
Take the opportunity to not only learn about the sorts of situations your child is
experiencing online but also use these to help them identify solutions. CEOP
(Child Exploitation & Online Protection) have created some top tips for parents
and carers to help you interact with their online activity:
•
Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online
life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they
visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are
more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
•
Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of ageappropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites
which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
•
Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world.
Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how
long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age
to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
•
Make use of parental controls and information guides available through
your service provider or games manufacturer. Parental controls are not
just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate
boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer
to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as
difficult to install as you might think. (source - www.thinkuknow.co.uk)
Useful websites for support & information:
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.childline.org.uk
www.respectme.org.uk
www.saferinternet.org.uk
www.thecorner.co.uk
Cyberbullying
‘If you wouldn’t say it, don’t send it’
It is similar to other types of bullying, except it occurs when someone uses the
internet, emails, text messages, instant messaging, social media websites,
online forums & chatrooms or online games to harass, threaten or humiliate
another person. Cyberbullies can be classmates, online friends or even
anonymous people. They often use the internet as a mask to hide behind, and
say or do things online that they would never dream of doing in the real world
and face to face.
Examples of bullying online are:
• Sending mean or threatening emails and instant or text messages
• Excluding someone from friends or instant message lists or blocking their
email
• Tricking someone into revealing personal or embarrassing information and
sending it to others
• Breaking into someone’s email or social media accounts to send cruel or
untrue messages, pretending to be that person
• Creating websites to make fun of another person such as a classmate or
teacher
• Using websites to rate peers as prettiest, ugliest, geeky etc.
It can happen anywhere at any time, even in places where you normally feel
safe, such as your home, and at times you’d least expect, such as at the
weekend or with family around. As young people access this type of media on
mobile phones or tablet pc’s and ipads it can often be hidden and not always a
school issue.
It is important to:
• Save any evidence of cyberbullying; keep any abusive texts or screenshots
of webpages, nasty emails or instant message conversations
• Remind your child that if you wouldn’t say something to someone’s face,
then its not ok to say it online.
• Report any bullying incidents to the service provider or if appropriate, the
police
• Offer the young person reassurance and support
• Limit communication from the cyberbully by blocking them from social
media channels, email accounts or mobile phones.
• Speak to the school if you are concerned it is an issue there too
I want to share a photo
of my friend - what do I do
1. WOULD MY FRIEND AGREE?
YES NO
Be nice, you might
not want a photo of
you being show n to
everyone.
2. COULD IT GET MY FRIEND INTO TROUBLE?
YES NO
Don’t post any photo s that
might come back to haunt
you or your frien ds. There is
a histor y so it can always be
trace d.
3. IS IT GOING TO CAUSE DRAMA?
Then it’s not worth
YES NO
posting, really.
4. AM I AWARE THAT ANYONE CAN SHARE IT?
YES NO
Well, it’s true. Anything you post online can be saved, copied and
shared with anyone on the internet.
5. WOULD I BE OK WITH MY
PARENTS SEEING IT?
If it’s not a picture your mum would be proud
YES NO
of then there’s a good chance somebody else
will find it inappropriate, too.
6. A YEAR FROM NOW, WILL I FEEL GOOD ABOUT MAKING THIS PUBLIC?
YES NO
If your having doubts, then it’s for a reason so don’t
post it. Your future self will thank you for it.
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU CLEARLY CONSIDERED THE CONSEQUENCES.
IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO THINK BEFORE YOU POST OR SHARE, SO...
GO AHEAD - SHARE & ENJOY!
THINK BEFORE YOU POST
People can act in a way in a way that they wouldn’t usually when they are
online, and as you cannot read gestures, see facial expressions or hear
people’s tone of voice, it can be easy to misinterpret what has been said on
screen or through headsets. It is important to be mindful of the fact that you
are communicationg differently and to consider how something you have said
may read or sound different from how you meant it to.
Think about these before you respond:
• Only make jokes with friends who you know well and understand - it’s ok to
have fun with friends but it’s not ok to be hurtful.
• The use of bold text, exclamation marks, emoticons and punctuation can
change how a phrase or word sounds, so but be careful not to use it in the
wrong place.
• Don’t use all capital letters. PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU’RE YELLING.
• Don’t use LOLs or BTWs unless you’re talking to a close friend who
understands what you mean - it can be confusing for some people
• Avoid negative or emotional conversations online. If there is an issue that
needs sorted out or you have something to say to someone then it is best
said face-to-face or during a phone conversation.
• If you think the other person won’t understand what you’re trying to say,
have someone else read it over, and make sure the message makes sense
before you send.
EVERYTHING CAN BE TRACED
Everything online leaves a footprint and once you post something on the
internet, it can spread very quickly and to a lot of people. Everthing you send
online or through text message is stored through your computers own unique
IP address or mobile phone SIM card. Even if you give a fake email account or
information you can always be traced, so think about what you do online and
how you behave.
Remember that once you post a picture onto a social media site, you lose
ownership of it and the site can use this photo again, even if you delete it from
your page. Also the things you say and do online are permenant; you don’t
want to regret comments or actions you made online that may have serious
consequences on your life now and in the future. Respect yourself and other
people and enjoy all that the internet has to offer!
The Corner is funded in partnership with NHS Tayside and Dundee City Council.