Online Safety
With technology advancing at a rate faster than most of us can cope, and with the added pressure of children nowadays being at the forefront of exposure to this advanced technological age with regard to the internet, mobile phones, laptops, computers and tablet devices, we believe that e-safety awareness and safe practice is of paramount importance.
While prevention is sometimes better than the cure, we understand the need for children to learn of and embrace these technologies as well as the need to teach them to use it responsibly, ethically, wisely and to guide them on how to best prepare themselves to stay safe while online.
Internet Parental Controls: The four big internet providers – BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin Media – provide their customers with free parental controls that can be activated at any time. Video tutorials on how to download and use these controls are available on the UK Safer Internet Centre website. www.saferinternet.org.uk/parental-controls
Safety Tools on Social Networks and Other Online Services: Information and advice on the safety tools, age requirements and terms and conditions for a variety of online services popular with young people. www.saferinternet.org.uk/safety-tools
Online Gaming: Childnet’s guide contains helpful advice and information on supporting children and young people playing games online. www.childnet.com/online-gaming
Young People and Social Networking Sites: Aims to help parents understand the positive and creative ways young people are using social networking spaces (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). It also points out the potential risks of using these sites and ways to minimise these risks. www.childnet.com/sns
Social Network Checklists: Free guides produced by the UK Safer Internet Centre that contain detailed instructions and information on privacy and account settings on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. www.saferinternet.org.uk/checklists
Virgin Media: At Virgin Media O2, we want internet users of all ages to enjoy all the wonderful things the web has to offer, safely. That’s why our experts have created a children’s internet safety test to help build awareness for parents and children of all ages to ensure they are better protected online.