Internet Safety

E-Safety

The Internet can be a wonderful place to explore. Children can use it for research in and out of school, to communicate with teachers and family, and play interactive games. The Internet, though, like anything else has its dangers and if children are not aware, they will not be able to protect themselves from harm.

At Eyemouth Primary School the safeguarding of pupils is a very high priority. We are committed to ensuring our pupils are safe in school and online.

By giving the pupils the knowledge to safeguard themselves and their personal information we are empowering them with a vital life skill.

What is E-Safety?

E-safety is the safe use of information systems and electronic communications, including the internet, mobile phones and games consoles. It is important that children and young people understand the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information technology.

E-safety concerns safeguarding children and young people in the digital world.
E-safety emphasises learning to understand and use new technologies in a positive way.
E-safety is less about restriction and more about education about the risks as well as the benefits, so we can feel confident online.
E-safety is concerned with supporting children and young people to develop safer online behaviours both in and out of school.

E-safety forms part of our curriculum and pupils are regularly reminded of how to stay safe online.

If you have any concerns speak to any member of staff.

Using the Internet safely at home

Whilst many Internet Service Providers offer filtering systems to help you safeguard your child at home, it remains surprisingly easy for children to access inappropriate material including unsuitable texts, images and movies. Parents/guardians are advised to set the security levels within Internet Browsers with this in mind. Check out the guides in the parent zone.

Locating the device to access the Internet in a family area, such as the living room, will enable you to supervise children as they use the Internet. However, don’t deny your child the opportunity to learn from the wide variety of material and games available on the Internet. Instead, set some simple rules for keeping them safe and make sure they understand the importance of these rules.

Simple, suggested rules for keeping your child safe

Ask your permission before they use the Internet
Only use websites you have chosen together or a child friendly search engine
Only email people they know (perhaps an address book would be useful)
Ask permission before opening an email sent by someone they don’t know
Do not use Internet chat rooms
Do not use their real name when using games on the Internet (perhaps encourage them to create a suitable nickname)
Never give out a home address or personal contact details
Never tell someone where they go to school
Never send an image of themselves, their home or school
Never arrange to meet someone they have ‘met’ on the Internet
Only use a webcam with people they know
Ask them to tell you immediately if they see anything they are unhappy with

Using these rules

Go through the rules with your child and ensure they understand what you suggest. It is also a good idea to regularly check the Internet sites your child is visiting e.g. by clicking on History and Favourites. Please reassure your child that you want to keep them safe rather than take Internet access away from them.

Below is a link to some free online expert advice specifically for parents on supporting their child in the digital world. They offer ideas on a range of ideas for staying safe online:

http://parentinfo.org/

Other links that you may find useful are:

www.thinkuknow.co.uk

ChildLine 08001111: get help and advice about a wide range of issues, talk to a counsellor online, send ChildLine an email or post on the message boards.

Cyber-bullying

Cyberbullying is any form of bullying which takes place online or through smartphones and tablets. Social networking sites, messaging apps, gaming sites and chat rooms such as Facebook, Xbox Live, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and other chat rooms can be great fun and a positive experience, but they can be used as platforms to upset and bully individuals.

Tips and advice

If you post abuse about anyone else online or if you send threats, you can be traced by the police without any difficulty. Every time you visit a website or make a posting, your internet service provider, has an electronic note of your activity. Even if you create an anonymous email address, you can still be traced.
Keep safe by using unusual passwords. Use a combination of letters, lowercase, uppercase, symbols and numbers. Don’t use any part of your name or email address and don’t use your birthdate either because that’s easy for people who know you to guess. Don’t let anyone see you signing in and if they do, change the password as soon as you can.
If you are using a public computer such as one in a library or computer shop, be sure to sign out of any web service you are using before leaving the computer so that you can protect your privacy.
Being bullied online can affect someone enormously. Being bullied can impact on a person’s self-esteem, confidence and social skills. Try to consider the impact your words may have and think twice before posting.
Think twice before you post anything online because once it’s out there you can’t take it back.

Social Media

The more you know about the kind of social networking sites your children belong to and what information they like to share, the more likely you’ll be able to keep them safe:

The age limit to join most social networking sites is 13.
The most popular social networks include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Snapchat; and some sites which are aimed at younger children also have a social networking element.
Many sites include an instant message function that allows private conversations between site members.
You can create ‘privacy settings’ on most social networking sites, so only close friends can search for your children, tag them in a photograph or share what they post.
Most social networking sites have an app, which means your children will have access to the social network from their (or your) smartphone or tablet.
Information shared between friends can be easily copied and may spread widely.
It isn’t easy to take back information once it’s online, and it can be impossible to recover after someone has shared it.
Not everyone your child meets online will be who they say they are.
Chat rooms and forums are one of the places that online groomers visit to connect with children; they can also be places where people use a lot of sexual language and engage in online flirting.

Eyemouth Primary School