Keeping your children safe online
As we are moving deeper into our digital age, the education, entertainment and communication potential coming from technology is continually increasing. Children will need to use technology like they need to cross roads. The strategy is to teach them how to do it safely, just as you’d train them with road safety.
Technology is moving so fast that it’s hard to keep up! Remember that there is so much information available to keep your knowledge up to date and minimise the online risks.
Risks used to be limited to the family desktop computer but as technology is advancing we are allowing our children access to a wider range of internet enabled technologies: mobile phones, portable gaming devices (PSPs and DSs), games consoles (Playstation, Wii and Xbox), tablets, laptops, computers and Smart TVs!
Did you know?
57% of four-year-olds in the UK use tablets and smartphones (Source: Vodafone/YouGov study, October 2013)
At school, we educate children about using technology safely within specific e-safety PSHE/computing units and messages are referred to throughout all lessons when potential risks could occur. However as children are also using technology at home, these messages should continue to be reinforced by adults around them.
Click HERE for a link to the UK safer internet centre’s parent’s guide to technology. This contains information about various gaming devices and handheld technologies, including important details on how to set up parental controls.
Download the Childnet International’s leaflet, by clicking HERE, aimed at parents for supporting children with their online activity. This includes a checklist of actions you can take towards ensuring your children are safe online. Childnet uses the SMART internet safety rules that we reinforce within school.
Unsure about PEGI game ratings?
Ratings are given to games from the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) system. In Cambridgeshire, we are increasingly made aware of children who have access to games rated above their actual age. click HERE for a link to the PEGI website for more information. Click HERE for an eye-opening article from The Guardian regarding the importance of observing PEGI ratings.
Children increasingly put pressure on their parents for access to websites and games above their age limitations. Click HERE for a copy of Childnet’s leaflet for parents about online gaming which includes information on minimising risks online, the importance of PEGI ratings and ways to work with children regarding these issues.
The internet provides a vast range of resources aimed at supporting and guiding parents with educating their children to be safe online and using parental controls to lock down security settings. Below is a list of websites which are used by teachers and recommended by Cambridgeshire’s ICT service for supporting responsible technology use:
E-safety sites and resources file. Please click HERE for a full downloadable list or click on the pictures below for a link to the respective website.
BBC Webwise BBC Staysafe CBeebies CEOP Childnet Cyberbullying
Digizen Get Netwise Kidsmart Stop ThinkUKnow Facebook
Parental Control Advice
Blackberry Controls (click on the picture for the link)
Instagram Advice (click on the picture for the link)
Snapchat parental advice (click on the picture for the link)
How to set up parental controls on the Xbox (click on the picture for the link)
