Weekly Online Safety Updates

15.12.2023 DIGITAL TOOLKIT - HELP FOR PARENTS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR CHILDREN'S DEVICES

FOR PARENTS - LITTLE DIGITAL HELPS TOOLKIT
This is a really useful toolkit for parents/carers who may be unsure about what parental features are available on their children's devices. Put together by Internet Matters and Tesco it takes around 8 minutes to answer a few questions and then receive a tailored toolkit.

All details about the toolkit can be found HERE.

15.12.2023 ROBLOX CHECKLIST 2023

FOR PARENTS - ROBLOX CHECKLIST 2023
I shared this checklist a few months ago, but with Xmas just around the corner it's a useful resource to share with parents, particularly as Roblox is one of the most popular games out there.

Roblox and SWGfL have collaborated together and created a checklist for parents which includes:

  • How to report abuse.
  • How to block users.
  • Setting up a parent control pin.
  • And more.

The resource can be downloaded HERE.

8.12..2023 TOK TOK STUDY REPORT

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL - TIKTOK STUDY


Are these types of report are relevant to Primary schools? The answer is yes, definitely. Don't forget, to use most social platforms you have to state that you are 13 or older. Even if you're a Year 4 aged child, to that platform you are at least 13 years of age.

There have been countless concerns over recent years in relation to algorithms and the type of content that is fed to children and young people across the various platforms they use. This latest study from Amnesty International delves deeply into the very significant concerns around the algorithms used within TikTok specifically in relation to self-harm, where children who signal an interest into mental health are quickly led down rabbit holes of some very disturbing content which can heighten risk, exacerbate an existing vulnerability or act as a trigger.  "When you 'heart' a sad video that you could relate to, suddenly my whole 'For You' page is sad and I"m in a sad-tok. It affects how I'm feeling ".

The report is quite big but you will find a lot of useful information in the executive summary which can also be used to help with conversation starters with students. The full report is HERE and there is an accompanying report about the massive amount of personal/private information collected by TikTok called 'I feel Exposed' HERE.