Keeping your child safe online

The Department for Education have updated their information for parents and carers to include a section on keeping children safe online, which we feel is important to share with you. It provides links to online resources that will help you to keep your children safe online.

Resources and Support for Parents

What support will be available to parents to help them educate their children at home?

More information will follow about what DfE is doing to support parents. We are working with the BBC and others to provide resources for children to access while at home. For parents with children under 5 years old see hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk.

There is too much pressure on broadband connections in my area - how can my child do online learning?

The government is having regular calls with the major fixed and mobile operators, and with Ofcom, to monitor the situation and ensure that any problems on the networks are rapidly addressed and rectified.

We fully understand the importance of having reliable internet connectivity at this time, so that people can work from home wherever possible and access critical public services online, including health information.

Where can I go to get support to help keep my child safe online?

There is a lot of support available to keep your child safe online. Below are some useful links to help parents and carers:

• Thinkyouknow (advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online)
• Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
• Parent info (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
• LGfL (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
• Net-aware (support for parents and careers from the NSPCC)
• UK Safer Internet Centre - What are the issues?
• Childnet International - Hot topics
• Childnet International - Parent factsheet
• Disrespect Nobody - Healthy relationships

We hope you find this information useful,

Take care,

Team Hugo  #staysafe #onlinesafety

** NEWS FLASH **

We have been alerted to a potentially dangerous phone app in circulation.  The App is called ‘IMVU’ and allows a user to create an ‘avatar’ and speak to strangers. It also pinpoints your location.  The attached images should help you recognise the App, which we strongly suggest deleting if found.

Keeping your children safe on the internet and other interactive devices, can feel like an insurmountable task. Here a some advice and below are helpful links to support you at home. 

Do you know what social media your child uses?

Instagram - Age-Appropriateness

Instagram is not for children under the age of 13. Instagram has strict Terms of Use and Community Guidelines that make their age requirement clear. Also, there’s an obvious connection between Instagram and other adult-intended social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13129150

Twitter - "Our Services are not directed to persons under 13. If you become aware that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at privacy@twitter.com. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we take steps to remove such information and terminate the child's account. 

Useful links:

CEOP is a law enforcement agency and is here to keep children and young people safe from sexual exploitation and abuse. If you have concerns about a child in this respect, please click the below to make a report to one of CEOP’s Child Protection Advisors.