Online Safety Quick Guides

---

Padgate Academy recognise that modern technology is an intrinsic part of modern-day life and our students use ICT extensively both in education and out of it.  However, along with the opportunities that ICT offers it also brings with it problems and risks that all students and parents need to be aware of.

E-Safety is of high priority at Padgate Academy and all students receive advice and guidance appropriate to their age and ‘e-awareness’. As well as learning about E-Safety in their ICT lessons, students get more targeted input during assemblies and tutor group time.  

CEOP

The NCA's CEOP Command (formerly the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account.  We protect children from harm online and offline, directly through NCA led operations and in partnership with local and international agencies.

E-Safety Advisor

Useful information can be found on the E-Safety Advisor website and their latest newsletter can be found by Clicking Here.

Further advice or support

If you need further advice or support with any incident relating to exposure of extreme content online in your setting, you can call the Professionals Online Safety Helpline on 0844 381 4772 or email them at helpline@saferinternet.org.uk

• 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.  Watch Thinkuknow films and cartoons with your child. The website has films, games and advice for child from five all the way to 16.
• Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
• Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online. Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
• 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.
• Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
• Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
• Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. 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. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly. There is a link on the 'Think u Know' website which can help you find your service provider and set your controls.  
• Help you child to understand that they should never give out personal details to online friends—personal information includes their messenger ID, email address, mobile number and any  pictures of themselves, their family and friends.  If your child publishes a picture or video online, anyone can change it or share it.  Remind them that anyone could be looking at their images!
• If your child receives spam/junk email and texts, remind them never to believe them, reply to them or use them.  It’s not a good idea for your child to open files from people they don’t know.  They won’t know what they contain—it could be a virus or worse—an inappropriate image or film.  
• Help your child to understand that some people lie online and therefore it’s better to keep online mates online.  They should never meet up with any strangers without an adult they trust.

 Social Networking

• Privacy settings need to be set to ‘friends only’ – including comments, posts and photos
• Limit friend numbers to people you genuinely know and people you trust
• Only post content and photos you wouldn’t mind showing your family
• Learn how to report any issues direct to the social networking site
• Never accept people you don’t know and trust in the real world
• Remember that giving out personal information is risky
• Remember web cam feeds can be recorded and faked
• Don’t webcam with people you don’t know
• Turn off the webcam after use
• Delete people that make you feel uncomfortable
• Know how to report a problem

Mobile phones

• Don’t enable your location or geo tagging on your phone
• Only let friends in the real world have your phone number or location
• Think before you post
• Understand the safety functions and how to report abuse
• Report serious threat or harassment on your phone to the police.
• Report bullying or nuisance calls to your mobile operator.
• Report text message scams to PhonepayPlus by dialling 0800 500 212 or by clicking here.
• Learn about mobile phone issues at Childnet’s Chatdanger website, it has an excellent section on mobile phones.

Gaming

• People are not always who they say they are online
• Keep gaming friends ‘in game’
• Don’t give out personal information
• Learn the reporting processes in the game

'The Parents' and Carers' Guide to the Internet' was created by CEOP and aims to give families a better understanding of the risks associated to the online world and what it takes to be an online parent in today's technology led world.   Watch this teaser to find out more.

Watch this short clip to find out more. - Click Here