Online Safety

If you are a parent or carer, we hope you will find the web links below useful to support with e-safety.

At Merrylands Primary School, we understand the responsibility to educate our pupils on eSafety issues; teaching them the appropriate behaviours and critical thinking skills to enable them to remain both safe and legal when using the internet and related technologies, in and beyond the context of the classroom.

Any child is at risk of being exploited - both boys and girls can be groomed online, with contact often starting on social media. It is important to remember that exploitation is not the child’s fault, and they are never to blame.

Caregivers can create a supportive environment, where online safety is discussed regularly in the same way as road safety or stranger danger, enabling children to speak up about any concerns they may have. By taking an interest in what games they are playing and trying to understand their online world, parents and carers can initiate important conversations. It’s also worthwhile double checking that devices have the correct parental controls, especially if they’re new.

The ESCB website has resources for parents, carers and professionals including podcasts, videos, how to report concerns, and information about spotting the signs of exploitation.

Concerns about child exploitation can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers 0800 555111. There is also a dedicated Essex Police Child Exploitation hotline - for parents, carers and members of the public to seek advice around concerns they may have about their own or other children with regards to criminal and sexual exploitation: 01245 452058. If you have a question about parental controls or concern about a social network your child uses, expert advisors at NSPCC free helpline can also help. Call Online Safety Helpline on 0808 8005002.

Pupils - If you have a concern, or see something that disturbs you, remember to speak to a trusted adult.

The links below contain some excellent information and resources to use to follow up on the work we do in school.

Know about apps and games to keep your child safe on line with our handy parents' guides below:

Talking to your child about online sexual harassment: a guide for parents

Great websites and information to help you to keep your child safe on-line

support for parents and carers to keep children safe online, which outlines resources to help keep children safe from different risks online and where to go to find support and advice
staying safe online which includes information on security and privacy settings
Thinkuknow provides advice from the National Crime Agency (NCA) on staying safe online
Childnet offers a toolkit to support parents and carers of children of any age to start discussions about their online life, to set boundaries around online behaviour and technology use, and to find out where to get more help and support
Internet matters provides age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental controls on a range of devices, and a host of practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world
London Grid for Learning has support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online, including tips to keep primary aged children safe online
Net-aware has support for parents and carers from the NSPCC, including a guide to social networks, apps and games
Let’s Talk About It has advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation
UK Safer Internet Centre has tips, advice, guides and other resources to help keep children safe online, including parental controls offered by home internet providers and safety tools on social networks and other online services

Prevent Parent Toolkit

Prevent Parent Toolkit

Prevent: Guide to protecting children from online hate, extremism and fake news

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that children are spending more time than ever before learning and socialising online. Parents are juggling new technology alongside working and navigating the risks children face online. This interactive guide focuses on the risks that online hate, extremism, and fake news pose and how parents and carers can minimize those risks.

Younger Children

In this podcast The 2 Johns talk about how pre-schoolers and young children view the world through the lens of the internet and how to develop a healthy curiosity in children about what they see and do online. It’s never too early to begin discussions about healthy internet use. https://escb.podbean.com/e/online-safety-for-parents-of-young-children/

Has your child come to you asking about a notification? Reassuring them that they have done the right thing by asking for help, will emphasise from an early age the importance of talking about things they see online, and that they won’t get told off for doing so. https://www.escb.co.uk/onlinesafety

Talk to pre-schoolers about online safety in the same way as…

…road safety

…water safety

…stranger danger

Talking about safe internet use from a young age will encourage open conversations as children get older https://youtu.be/cXvjNpYzsSA

Pre-Teens 8-12

Did you know the number of children exploited online doubles between the ages of 11 and 12 years old? If your child is getting their first smartphone make sure you have the correct parental controls set up and are talking to them regularly about their online life https://www.escb.co.uk/onlinesafety

The internet is 24/7 and available everywhere – think about where else other than at home your child may be accessing the internet and make sure you keep talking to them about safe internet use https://escb.podbean.com/e/online-safety-parents-of-pre-teens/

Help your child navigate the online world by showing an interest in what they are doing online.

What games do they play and who do they play with?
What YouTubers do they watch?
Who do they follow on Instagram/Snapchat?

Be involved and join them in a game or watch YouTube with them, it’ll make starting conversations about #onlinesafety easier.

YP
Did you know you can report a nude image or video of yourself? It can be scary and you may feel embarrassed, but there is help out there. Search ‘Report Remove Childline’ to find out more #onlinesafety

Online Gaming

Perpetrators are increasingly targeting children and young people via online gaming sites, pretending to be someone who they are not. This can often lead to bullying, grooming and sexual exploitation. The Breck Foundation is a self-funding charity, raising awareness of playing safe whilst using the internet.

CEOP’s Thinkuknow has launched Band Runner, an interactive game for 8-10 year olds to help build their knowledge, confidence and skills to stay safe from risks they might encounter online. The game is hosted on the area for 8-10 year-olds on the Thinkuknow website. Internet Matters - Online Gaming (The Basics)

Parents Did You Know...the security settings of off game chats are often not as good as those built into the game. Discord is a chat forum used by a lot of gamers and it’s important to be aware that strangers can contact your child especially on public or large servers and send inappropriate, mean or sexual content. Find out more about Discord and how to keep your child safe.

This video by James Pearson, Violence and Vulnerability Unit is all about gaming. He discusses why parents need to be aware that their child’s chat can filter out of the game and onto other platforms and what they need to be discussing with their children to keep their online gaming an enjoyable experience.

Online Bullying

This online bullying podcast looks at the pressure from social media and the impact this has on young people. The 2 Johns talk about how parents can create a relationship with their child that encourages them to tell them about these issues and the support available.

Parents, Did you know just under half of those being investigated for exploiting others online are children and most are the same age as the victim. If you’re worried your child might have been a victim our website has information about who to contact https://www.escb.co.uk/safeguarding-topics/online-safety/reporting-concerns/