E-Safety
The Internet is an amazing tool for us all to use to help communicate and find out information. It can have a fantastic impact on children’s learning. In order to ensure children have a positive experience on the internet, it is important we take care to protect them from some of the dangers online. Many children want to use social media, therefore it is important that we ensure the children in our care use social media responsibly and safely.
Parent Information
Parent Zone and CEOP have created "Parent Info" to keep parents informed and up-to-date with the latest news and developments that could affect children. Below is the latest from them.
Apps to look out for
Apps similar to Tik Tok are growing in popularity. One of the most popular is Likee. Like Tik Tok, you do not need an account to view its videos and there can be adult language and videos of people who are dressed inappropriately. You do not need to verify your age to create an account but there are parental controls for adults who know their child is viewing it and wants to protect them.
Users of Likee can purchase in-app currency with real money to gift to their favourite creators. This can be dangerous for children.
Discord is a voice and text chat app originally designed to let people playing online games talk to each other. Now it is used as a chatroom for any group of people wanting to create a community, including some discord servers run by YouTubers and Twitch streamers that you can pay to access. As with much of social media, there is risk from strangers and from children being mean to each other.
DITTO
There is a fantastic source of up-to-date information on the recent developments in technology and their potential risks to children (and the rest of us), called DITTO. You can download the latest edition for free here.
Other links
Please find links below for further information of how to keep your child safe online:
- NSPCC
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets -Guide to E-Safety
- Internet Matters - detailed advice to help you manage parental controls and much more.
- Childline
- CEOP - Has something happened online that has made you feel worried or unsafe? You can make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors through CEOP
- DfE advice on bullying, including cyber-bullying.
- Government page about online safety.
- Parental Controls and other advice (from Virgin Media)
Parents can also contact the free NSPCC Online Safety Helpline with questions about parental controls or concerns about a social network their children are using on 0808 8005002.
If you have any concerns about your child's safety, please come and speak the Designated Safeguarding Officer or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.