Online Safety

The internet is a fantastic resource and can be helpful to children and young people in lots of ways, but they can put themselves at risk without realising it. During this challenging time, children may be using the internet more than they usually do. Here are some guidelines to help your child stay safe whilst using the internet.

Parents need to know the GOLD rules:

G – Ground Rules: parents must have ground rules.

O – Online safety: activate security settings.

L – Location: keep the computer in the family room. Prevent your child from using tablets in his/her bedroom, alone. Set time limits.

D – Discuss: talk to your child about what they are doing on the internet.

Children are taught the SMART rules:

S – Safe: stay safe online by not giving out personal information.

M – Meet: meeting someone you have met online could be dangerous. Online friends are strangers.

A – Accepting: don’t accept emails or messages from people you don’t know.

R – Reliable: people online might lie about who they really are. Only chat online to your real-world friends and family.

T – Tell: tell someone (parent, carer, trusted adult) if you are worried about any online issues

The 'Think You Know' website is a great stating point.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

A great alternative to Google search engine for children to use is www.kiddle.co. Sites appearing in Kiddle search results satisfy family friendly requirements, as they filter sites with explicit or deceptive content.

Pupils should:

• Never reveal information, either their own or others, such as home address, telephone numbers and personal e-mail address etc. Or use photographs of themselves on their web pages unless the parent/guardians have given permission to do so.
• Never meet people in person that they have contacted on the internet without parent/guardians permission.
• Notify their teacher whenever they come across information or messages that are dangerous. Inappropriate or make them feel uncomfortable.
• Be aware that the author of an e-mail or web page may not be the person they claim to be.

Online Safety Information

Children at our school use the internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. In school, we have regular eSafety activities to remind children of the importance of keeping themselves safe online.