This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Education Safeguarding Professional, Jatinder Matharu, for the attention of All Schools.
As Safer Internet Day is fast approaching, many of you may be thinking about parental awareness.
Safer Internet Day on the 7th February 2023 aims to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people, and to inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. Safer Internet Day 2023 is on 7th February and will be celebrated with the theme ‘Want to talk about it?’ Making space for conversations about life online.
Parents and carers, too can play a key role in helping to keep children to stay safe online.
There is great advice and resources to support you as you support your child to use the internet safely, responsibility and positively.
Children regularly use different websites and apps from their parents, and it can be hard to keep up in this ever-changing digital world. But the things that help keep children safe online are often similar to the things that keep them safe offline.
We are encouraging parents to talk about what they think is normal online and what behaviour to expect from others and from themselves. Encourage them to think critically and question what they see online. Talk to them about where they go to get information they trust, talk about fake news, fake followers and scams. Help them develop a healthy suspicion of whether people are who they say they are. You will find some good tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep your child safe online on these links below:
Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre | Keeping children safe online | NSPCC | Parents Protect - Internet Safety
The NSPCC offer parental internet safety workshops, go here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/free-online-safety-group-workshops/
Please be aware that most are now run virtually due to the level of demand and in-person sessions are subject to a wait-list. All is explained on the above link.
There is also a NSPCC video to a pre-recorded webinar aimed at parents which you can circulate to your parents: Keeping Children Safe on Gaming Platforms | Webinar for parents and carers | https://youtu.be/YO6Ux7qfYXk
Meanwhile, the following page has lots of resources to support keeping children safe online – some are for parents/carers, others for professionals – in some cases, these resources are more “surgical” and able to address specific issues whereas the workshops, by their nature, are more general: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/#guides