ESafety
ESafety is extremely important for the welfare of all our pupils. Both on this page and on our children's page you will find links to some useful websites.
For Parents - Game Finder:
Finding games for children which are appropriate for their age, which work on the devices the children use and the children will actually enjoy playing can be a minefield, particularly when parents are being bombarded with the 'but everyone else is playing this game' guilt trip. Game Finder is a new (free) service available from Taming Gaming which walks parents through various aspects, such as how old is your child? What devices do they have? What types of games do they like to play? And then gives a list of recommendations of suitable games. You can find Game Finder at https://www.taminggaming.com/gameFinder
Advice by age:
Younger children need different advice and guidance than older children. Older children need different advice and guidance than teens. On these pages there is some age-related advice and guidance for parents and carers:
Pre-school - https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/0-5/
6 - 10 year olds - https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/6-10/
11 - 13 year olds - https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/11-13/
14 plus - https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/14plus/
Setting up devices:
It can be difficult knowing all the different settings that are available on different devices to help protect children, this includes allowing or disallowing chat, friends, spending money, content filters and much more. On these pages you will find the details, as well as non-technical instructions, which will help you understand what is available to you and how to set up your child's devices.
Gaming consoles and devices - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/gaming-consoles/
Smartphones - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/smartphones-and-other-devices/
Broadband and mobile networks - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/
Entertainment and search engines - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/entertainment-search-engines/
Safety/privacy settings on social media:
With many children and young people using social media it is important to understand what features are available to you to help protect your children. This is also important because for the most part, all privacy settings are default off when a new account is created, but also because some social media providers change their features quite frequently, e.g. TikTok.
Take a look at this link to see what is available to you and how to set up your child's social media. We would also advise doing this with your child so that you can discuss the features together.
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/
Useful new features on YouTube and YouTube Kids
YouTube is hugely popular with all age groups but historically parents haven't had a lot of control over what their children can/cannot watch. But things have changed and YouTube now gives parents a greater degree of control. Take a look at the page below where you will see a few short videos of newer features that can help you on YouTube and YouTube Kids.
https://www.esafety-adviser.com/youtube-parental-restrictions/
Gaming
Finding good games, as well as knowing what is appropriate for the age of the child isn't easy, particularly when there can be lots of peer pressure to play the more popular games which are not always appropriate. Taming Gaming is a great resource for parents to find new games for children as well as lots of advice about content, suitability etc.
Home Learning - Online Safety
If you choose to supplement the school online offer with support from online companies, and in some cases individual tutors, it is extremely important to ensure the online support is from a reputable organisation/individual who can provide evidence that they are safe and can be trusted to have access to children.
Support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online includes:
- Internet matters - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
- London Grid for Learning - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
- Net-aware - for support for parents and careers from the NSPCC
- Parent info - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
- Thinkuknow - for advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online
- UK Safer Internet Centre - advice for parents and carers
YouTube Moderation for Parents
Given the circumstance we find ourselves in, it's likely that children will spend more time on YouTube. Alan Mackenzie, Internet safety guru, has recorded a brand new video giving some tips on the few functions available within YouTube to help parents.
YouTube link HERE
HouseParty App
This app has been around for years, but has just reached number 1 in the download charts, suggesting that more children and young people are using it to communicate and socialise. Houseparty is rated as 12+ in the App Store.
What do parents need to be aware of?
As with all social media apps and platforms it’s important for Parents and Carers to be aware of some of the risks and dangers on platforms and apps. With Houseparty all chats are unmoderated within the app. Friends of friends can also enter rooms and join chats. The app does notify users however – when a stranger enters a room.
Note: Taking screenshots of videos and images is possible within the app and these could end up getting posted or shared across other social medial platforms or the internet.
Wayne Denner has put together an article which will be of use to parents. The article is HERE.