In this growing digital age, children are becoming increasingly familiar with a range of popular online platforms and with access to multiple technology such as mobile phones or games consoles. We see the results of these trends at school and have spent time recently educating part of KS2 in an effort to help keep everyone safe and to raise awareness of certain apps and their appropriate use. As these trends grow, it can often become a challenge to keep on top of things and to stay up-to-date with latest advice and guidance, with this in mind we thought it might be helpful to share the information that we were able to use in the hope that it might also be helpful at home.
There are many charities and organisations which offer the latest information including helpful user guides to many online platforms. Mr Mason recently shared a link from the BBC in relation to setting up parental controls after some concerning behaviour relating to Tik Tok usage, you can find the link HERE. We also recently discovered National Online Safety who have a really useful website including training for parents/carers endorsed by celebrities, regular information and great resources such as a series of posters. There are far too many to include here, however we have shared just a few which we think may be useful. We’d recommend visiting their website and social media pages which are regularly updated:
Talking to children as often as possible and keeping an eye on the apps that they are using and tightening parental controls, along with an awareness of the recommended age requirements is recommended.
Many of the advice from these websites also work to support children’s mental health, by promoting an awareness to certain aspects of social media. As a school community, we are always keen to work together with our families with the focus of keeping our children safe, educated and to support their wellbeing. Please feel free to get in touch should you have any concerns or require extra support, or indeed if you can offer any guidance to support us as a school. We will continue to share latest advice in a bid to stay relevant and useful in this ever-changing world, particularly during this period of time where children may be spending more time at home.
Many thanks for your support