One of the side effects of lockdown has been the increased use of technology. Most children have really benefited from this when in lockdown but unfortunately sometimes it can go wrong. The misuse of technology that some primary aged children have experienced includes, bullying, fraud and child abuse. We now need parents and carers to take an active role in keeping their children safe in the online world, just as they would in real life!
The best way of protecting your children is to talk with them about how they use technology, find out about the apps, websites and games they use and make sure they can share any worries they have with you. Both the net-aware and internetmatters.org websites are full of helpful advice.
As a school we take online safety very seriously and children are taught about keeping safe throughout their time in school, so they develop the skills and resilience needed to keep themselves safe on line. We should remember that they are still children, they will make mistakes and they will need your support not only to stay safe but to grow and flourish both online and offline.
Below we have listed five useful websites to help support your child staying safe. Please take some time to talk to your children and find out more on the websites below. Parents and carers are also welcome to discuss issues and get support from the school – we will help.
| Website | Comment |
| www.internetmatters.org | Really useful website covering parental controls, apps and all aspects of supporting parents with technology. |
| www.net-aware.org.uk | Great website for parents, written by the NSPCC that explains about individual apps and the safety measures they have in place for children. |
| https://www.childline.org.uk | The website for children to get support themselves. |
| https://www.ltai.info | Support with radicalisation. |
| https://www.getsafeonline.org | More for parents – this site explains how to protect yourself against online fraud – which is an increasing problem. |