Parents' E-Safety
The internet is an integral part of children's lives; it opens up many educational and social opportunities, giving them access to, quite literally, a whole new world of information, communication with others, and experiences.
Introduction Phones & Tablets Social Networking & Messaging Reducing Risks
Introduction
Whether on a computer at school, a laptop at home, a tablet/ i-pad, a games console or mobile phone, children and young people are increasingly accessing the internet whenever they can and wherever they are.
Just as you protect your child in the real world, you need to make sure that they are safe when they are online. Online safety skills are skills for life; if your child understands the risks and can make sensible and informed choices online, they can get the most from the internet and stay safe from people who might seek them out to harm them. (CEOP – Thinkyouknow)
The information on this page is designed to give you more information and tools to help keep your child safer online. The two links below give information from external sites which you may find useful.
Online Grooming Sharing Intimate Images
How do young people use mobile phones, (and tablets)?
Young people love to use mobile phones as it enables them to plan arrangements with friends and family. They can also have a lot of fun with games and use their phone or tablet to take pictures. Increasing numbers of children have access to the internet through their phone or tablet, providing them with access to their email, social networking and gaming sites on the move.
What are the risks that young people encounter using mobiles?
There are some risks in their use of mobile technology. Most tablets and mobile phones have web access; this means that young people can access content from the internet wherever they are, without parental or teacher supervision. With the rise in picture and video messaging, young people can speak "face to face" with anyone, anywhere in the world, from the privacy of their own home, using their phone, tablet or laptop. Young people need to be extremely careful about the images they share with others; the recipient can very easily share the images with others or even put them online, where anyone in the world can see them. (This is particularly worrying, if images are used in child abuse sites). Young people also need to be aware that they put themselves at risk of cyberbullying, or inappropriate intimate contact if they give out their contact details to people they don't know in "real life"..
How can I reduce the risks to my children using their mobiles?
There are mobile phone operators who sell phones with filtering software included, so that children won't access inappropriate websites or content. It is worth checking that your child's phone has this capability.
Remind your child that any image they send on their mobile can be changed and shared online, and that once they have sent an image they have lost control of it.
Read through a young people's online safety website with your child, and help them to understand that they shouldn't give out personal details such as their mobile number to strangers, or other young people that they don't fully trust.
Social Networking and IM (Instant Messenger)
Social Networking websites use applications which help connect friends using a tools like blogs, profiles, internal email systems and photos. Well known sites include Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Myspace etc.; these have become an important part of modern culture.
Instant messaging (IM) involves sending text information using a network, (often the internet). The information is instantly sent to two or more people on a user's contact list. Examples include Windows Live Messenger, Jabber, ICQ and AIM. IM technologies often include additional features that make them even more popular such as having the ability to talk directly for free, sharing files, (including pictures and videos), or viewing the other person using a webcam or phone camera.
The Risks
Although chatting online can be great fun, young people can sometimes feel out of their depth. Risks can arise when young people give out their personal details to strangers. The online world can often seem very different to the real one, and young people can be tempted to say and do things that they wouldn't dream of if they met someone face to face. This can include giving out personal information such as mobile numbers and pictures of themselves.
If they are talking to another young person there is a risk that they will misuse this information - for example, by texting abusive messages to your child, or by posting your child's image on a website; but there is obviously a greater risk if the person that they are chatting to is an adult.
IM is a very intimate form of communication, (two or a small number of people communicating privately, with nobody else seeing or hearing their conversation), and child abusers will often use this as a means to extract personal information from a young person. Make sure that your child understands that they must only IM with people they know, (and both you and they trust), in real life.
Protecting children using social networking websites
Encourage your children to only upload pictures that you as their parent/ carer would be happy to see. In addition, it is also not a good idea to post pictures which can identify the school which your child attends since this could help someone locate them.
Tell your children not to post their phone number or email address on their homepage or profile. Also, help them to adjust their account settings so that only approved friends can instant message them.
Check if your child has ticked the “no picture forwarding” option on their social networking site settings page – this will stop people sending pictures from your child's page around the world without their consent.
Encourage them not to give too much away in a blog or social media posts. For example, don't post where they go to after school clubs or other activities that might help someone locate them.
Ask them to show you how to use a social networking site - getting involved will empower them to share the experience with you.
How can I reduce the risks to my children?
You can reduce the risks with these simple methods.
Make sure that you know which applications your child uses to communicate online.
Make sure that they understand the importance of keeping their personal information personal.
If your child uses IM, ask them to show you how it works. This way you can see who they have on their contact list and if there is anyone who they don't know in the real world. Check that they know how to block someone they no longer wish to talk to.
Encourage your child to visit the Thinkuknow website, where they can watch films and play games on how to stay safer online.
Consider creating some family rules which you can all agree to about online use, including not giving out personal information, or talking to people they don't know in real life without discussing it with you first.
Remind your children that they should never meet up with someone that they have met online without you or another adult going with them.
