Online Safety Advice for Parents and Carers
Online Safety
Children should be encouraged to use the internet, but at all times in a safe way.
Pupils must never be left unattended whilst online and teachers should ensure that this does not happen. If any adult or child suspects misuse, either by a teacher or child, the issue must be reported to a member of the academy safeguarding Team without delay.
We have a system in place called Smooth Wall which monitors and filters the use of our ICT in school.
Online safety curriculum
Online Safety is an integral part of the school curriculum in all schools.
For Primary School children, this is vital to help children enjoy the wonderful opportunities that our increasingly technological world can offer and teach them.
Through our curriculum and other aspects of our academy, we encourage children to celebrate what technology can offer us in a safe and responsible manner. In addition to lessons, we take the opportunity to raise awareness of On-line Safety through assemblies and it is high profile during National awareness events such as Anti-Bullying Week and Safer Internet Day, which are on the school calendar. We will also intervene quickly if we are made aware of any on-line safety issues within the academy.
Our curriculum lessons are planned with the support from Kirklees and resources from a range of providers such as CEOP, listed below. We aim to work in partnership with parents to provide a support network for children as they explore, communicate, play and learn on-line. We endeavour to provide as much information as possible for parents, through our school website.
It is important to keep reviewing practice, as a school, as a family and as a pupil – in response to the way technology changes – almost daily. We regularly seek advice from the Local Authority support team and use some key websites to keep us updated.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/my-child-is-gaming-with-strangers-what-should-i-do
Social Networking Advice for Parents and Carers
Beaumont Primary Academy is committed to promoting the safe and responsible use of the Internet and as such we feel it is our responsibility to raise this particular issue as a concern.
Social media can be a great way of communicating and social connections, however they are created with their audience in mind, and it is not possible to control or verify the content.
We feel it is important to point out to parents the risks of underage use of such sites, so you can make an informed decision as to whether to allow your child to have a profile or not. These profiles will have been created away from school and sometimes by a child, their friends, siblings or even parents.
We will take action (such as reporting under aged profiles) if a problem comes to our attention that involves the safety or wellbeing of any of our children.
Facebook’s terms and conditions state that all users must be 13 years or older and as such we strongly recommend that parents do not allow their children to have their own personal profiles online.
- Children may accept friend requests from people they don’t know in real life which could increase the risk of inappropriate contact or behaviour.
- Language, games, applications, groups and content posted or shared on Facebook is not moderated, and therefore can be offensive, illegal or unsuitable for children.
- Photographs shared by users are not moderated and therefore children could be exposed to inappropriate images or even post their own
- Underage users might be less likely to keep their identities private and lying about their age can expose them to further risks regarding privacy settings and inappropriate behaviour.
- Facebook cannot and does not verify its members therefore it is important to remember that if your child can lie about who they are online, so can other people.
Roblox
Roblox is a gaming platform where multiple players interact and play together online. The site has a collection of games aimed at 8-18 year olds, however players of all ages can use the site. Roblox is currently available on PC, phone, tablet and Xbox One.
Every game on Roblox is created by users, and there are a wide variety to choose from. These can vary from delivering pizzas, to roaming a kingdom as a medieval knight, to even starring in a fashion show. This variety is one of the reasons that Roblox is so popular with young people.
Whilst the games are aimed at 8–18-year-olds, there are no age restrictions. This means both adults and young people can play and communicate with each other on the platform.
All games are multiplayer and include a written chat feature, which is visible to players within each individual game. Users can also make and receive friend requests during gameplay, and this means that they can chat to each other outside of the game.
If you didn’t know as a parent/carer you can limit or disable online chat capabilities, customize access to experiences based on age recommendations and select options for spending limits.
The Roblox Studio is a section where players use their imagination and skills to create their own games and share these with others. The ability to create and play games can be very appealing to young people who like to create the content they see online. However, because content is user-generated it can mean that some games might not be appropriate for young children. For example, whilst the graphics are not very life like, some of the games feature weapons and blood.
Further information and advice can be found below
Roblox - a guide for parents - UK Safer Internet Centre
YouTube
Many children spend a lot of time watching YouTube and children often wish to create their own YouTube films. In doing so, without careful thought, they can leave themselves open to bullying or online grooming by revealing personal details and making videos and comments available to anyone.
This is not illegal but the minimum age to create a YouTube account is 13. Having an account for a younger child breaks the terms and conditions of the site. It is not possible to upload videos without creating an account.
If you have any questions or concerns about any on-line safety issue, please contact the schools DSL Mrs Wilkinson.
Snapchat
It was initially a private photo-sharing app. However, Snapchat features now include short videos, video chat, messaging, photo storage, generative AI and more.
Each Snap shared with your followers is temporary and is available for 24 hours unless you delete it or set a different limit. You can also add different filters, lenses, emojis and text to your Snap. Additionally, you can create a group chat to talk with friends or message individual friends.
As well as the above, Snapchat has a ‘Stories’ and ‘Spotlight’ area.
- The Stories feature – works as a newsfeed featuring content from news publishers and well-known people. Some use this feature to meet new people.
- The Spotlight feature – working like TikTok, Spotlight is a dedicated tab in Snapchat for promoting short viral videos. The Spotlight feature will use an algorithm to recommend the ‘most engaging’ posts to watch based on what a user is interested in.
We advise parents not to allow their children to be on this platform but if you choose to allow you child to access, please consider the risks and ensure the below settings are in place to keep your child safe.
- in-app warnings: a feature that sends a pop-up warning to teens if someone tries to add them as a friend when they don’t share mutual contacts.
- limits on friend suggestions: users aged 13-17 must have multiple contacts in common with someone before they show up as suggested friends or see others on their suggestion list.
- chat restrictions: users cannot contact others directly unless both are added as friends.
Fortnite
Fortnite is an online game, Battle Royale is a part of Fortnite where players do not have to pay to play. In Battle Royale, the free segment of Fortnite, 100 players compete against each other to be the last person standing in player vs player (PVP) combat.
Users are playing against people of different ages from across the world, and Fortnite has in game audio chat so that players can talk and interact with each other as they play.
Fortnite has a PEGI rating of 12, PEGI have said this is due to the: ‘frequent scenes of mild violence. It is not suitable for persons under 12 years of age’.
In order to play Fortnite you have to create an account. To create this account you need to provide an email address (which you will have to verify) and display/user name. However you are not asked your age in order to create an account.
As Fortnite is an online game you will play against players of different ages from across the world. You can turn this communication off in your setting or choose who you play against. You are also able to block or mute other players who are behaving in an inappropriate manner.
Although Battle Royale is free to play, other aspects of the game are not. There are packs which give you different access to the full game and extensions, in game currency and ‘skins’ which edit the design of your character. These start at £8 and go up to £119.99. The game does ask players to make additional in-game purchases whilst playing, though these are not required to play the game.
TikTok
Although we advise against your child posting and being on TikTok as the minimum age limit is 13 if you choose to allow your child to be on please ensure they are safe and parental controls are in place.
Some useful tips
Know how and when to report. You can report any inappropriate, abusive Live, video, comment or anything else on the platform.
