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Online Safety
Online safety is the safe use of the internet and electronic communication technologies.
At Westwood Primary we recognise the importance of teaching children about e-safety through lessons that are relevant and engaging. We achieve this by ensuring that children explore key strands in order to be able to keep themselves safe in an ever changing world. Below are the e-safety strands that children explore between Early Years and Year 6.
Why this journey?
We find ourselves in a world where information drives society and for many media businesses, it’s a valuable commodity. In the centuries before us it was coal; iron; cotton; oil: now its data.
Navigating this complex landscape is difficult at best. Many of us find our way through this tangle of information through trial and error; forging our own unique path and learning as we go. However, as we have seen only too often, some of those “errors” have the potential to lead to harm.
It’s no accident, then, that Media Literacy; Digital Literacy and Citizenship are a key element of the UK government’s “Online Harms” white paper. Amongst a raft of other regulatory measures, Media Literacy education threads itself through the whole strategy.
But what does good digital literacy education look like? How do we craft something that not only is relevant but achieves positive and realistic outcomes?
Eight years ago there was no Snapchat; no TikTok; no 5G; no Cambridge Analytica and whilst the landscape doesn’t hinge on one development, the interplay of all of these technologies changed attitudes, behaviours and priorities.
Who’d have thought we would be worrying about fake news across the whole media landscape or who we could trust eight years ago? Ransomware hadn’t raised its ugly head and the prospect of “deep fakes” hadn’t emerged. Gaming had not yet experienced the online ascendancy of GTA V or Call of Duty and “Blue Whale” was still six years away.
Gradually, Digital Literacy became more difficult to update and less relevant with each passing month. .
Time for a rethink.
E-safety Curriculum
Education for a connected world
The internet is an amazing resource for children. It allows children to explore, play and problem solve. However with technology, social media and the internet changing at such a fast pace it is extremely important that children are kept safe. If you understand the internet and understand what the risks are, there are a number of things you can do that will make your child safer online. There is a lot of information available to parents regarding eSafety on the Internet. Below there is a selection of links to information which we feel will help you to increase your knowledge and understanding of the Internet and what the risks are.
Online Safety Websites for Parents, Guardians and Adults
(Please be aware that we have no control of the content that you may find on external websites)
The Internet has become part of our everyday lives and is now easier to access then ever before.
Use of the Internet can also have risks. Young people are more at risk of exposure to inappropriate or criminal behaviour if they are unaware of the dangers.
These dangers include:
- viewing unsuitable content e.g. hate material, adult content, sites that endorse unhealthy behaviour
- giving out personal information
- arranging to meet an online 'friend'
- becoming involved in, or the victim of, bullying, identity theft, or making and sending indecent or illegal images
- spending too much time online (internet addiction), which can effect concentration, sleep and health
- copying information from the Internet or buying work from other people to use as their own.
The links below are for your information, but also to share with your children if you feel that they are appropriate.
How we protect our pupils
- The school will control access to social networking sites, and consider how to educate pupils in their safe use.
- Newsgroups will be blocked unless a specific use is approved.
- Pupils will be advised never to give out personal details of any kind which may identify them, their friends or their location.
- Pupils and parents will be advised that the use of social network spaces outside school brings a range of dangers for primary aged pupils.
If you have a concern about your child's safety when using the internet please talk to your class teacher.
Houseparty
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Houseparty is a free video chat app where you can talk to people one-on-one or in groups of up to eight, with people you know and people you might not. You can also play games with the people you’re chatting to.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/houseparty/
Youtube
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: YouTube lets you watch, create and comment on videos. You can create your own YouTube account, create a music playlist, and even create your own channel, which means you’ll have a public profile. YouTube allows live streaming.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/youtube/
Youtube Kids
Official Age Rating: 0+
Description: YouTube Kids has been designed as a child-friendly version of YouTube for 0-12 year olds. It gives parents tools to help tailor what videos their children can watch. YouTube Kids uses a mix of filters, human reviewers and parent feedback to minimise the risk of children seeing something inappropriate or harmful.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/youtube-kids/
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Facebook is a social media site which lets you connect with others and share things like comments, photos and videos through your own profile page. You can add friends, write on people’s pages and posts, join groups and play games. You can also live broadcast a video to your Facebook contacts.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/facebook--messenger/
Messenger
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Messenger is a free chat app that lets you send messages, photos, videos and audio recordings, and play games with your Facebook friends and phone contacts. You need a Facebook account to use Messenger.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/messenger/
Official Age Rating: 16+
Description: WhatsApp is an instant messaging app which lets you send messages, images and videos in one-to-one and group chats with your contacts. You can choose to share your live location for up to eight hours with one contact or a group.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/whatsapp/
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Instagram is a picture and video sharing app. Users can post content on their profile grid or to their stories, which last 24 hours. You can follow your friends, family, celebrities and companies on Instagram. Instagram also has a live streaming feature.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/instagram/
Viber
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Viber is a free messaging app that lets you text, call, share photos and send video messages to people. There’s an emphasis on privacy. The app has end-to-end encryption and you can also have Secret Chats; after your message is read it will automatically delete itself from your contact’s phone.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/viber/
TikTok
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: TikTok is a social media platform that lets you create, share and discover 60 second videos. You can use music and effects to enhance your videos and you can also browse other people’s videos and interact with them.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/tiktok/
Among Us
Official Age Rating: 7+
Description: Among Us is a game set on a spaceship played with 4-10 other players. Players can choose to join a game with people they don’t know or create their own private game with friends. The game randomly selects one of the players to be an ‘imposter’ who the other players must defeat to win the game. You can play it on mobile and desktop.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/among-us/
Roblox
Official Age Rating: 7+
Description: Roblox is an online game and app where you can create your own games or play games that other users have made. There’s the option to chat to other players, but you can change this to private or friends only.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/roblox/
Minecraft
Official Age Rating: 7+
Description: Minecraft is a game that lets you build and create a virtual world using building blocks. Other activities include using the multiplayer function to explore the worlds created by other users and to combat, chat and play with them.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/minecraft/
Twitch
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Twitch is a live streaming site popular with gamers that lets you share live gameplay for others to watch and comment on in real time. You can also watch playbacks of games being played and chat to other gamers. You can’t join a live game on Twitch but you can speak to other users who are watching the game in real-time.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/twitch/
Discord
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Discord is a voice and text chat app that's popular with gamers. It can be used to talk to other players while playing games. Or you can swap tips and advice with other players in game-specific servers (similar to online forums). Some games, like Fortnite and PUBG, have official verified Discords for fans to talk about the game.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/discord/
Fortnite
Official Age Rating: 12+
Description: Fortnite is a popular survival action game where up to 100 live players can fight each other to be the last one standing. The game includes heavy violence but with little blood or gore. You can talk to other players using public, private and voice chat.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/fortnite-battle-royale/
Mixer
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Mixer is a video streaming app and website from Microsoft. Users can live stream themselves playing games on their Xbox, computer and mobile, as well as watching other people play. It also lets you chat to other players or join their game.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/mixer/
imo
Official Age Rating: 4+
Description: imo is a free video, voice and chat app that lets you talk to your contacts one-on-one or in groups. The app also connects you to people you don’t know through turning on your location and connecting with people close by. Because of this feature, we don’t think it’s appropriate for under 18s (This is the advice given by Net Aware who work alongside the NSPCC).
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/imo/
PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG) Mobile
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: Like Fortnite, PUBG Mobile is a battle royale shooter and fighting game. Teams of up to 4 players battle to be the last one standing. It contains more gore than Fortnite and there might be some inappropriate content in the chat.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/playerunknowns-battleground-pubg-mobile/
Snapchat
Official Age Rating: 13+
Description: The Snapchat app lets you send photos, short videos or messages to your friends. Pictures and videos, known as 'Snaps', usually appear temporarily before disappearing, though they can be captured via screenshots.
For more information visit: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/snapchat/
In-game chat: What you need to know
Video games have always been popular among children - even more so now that online multiplayer games like Fortnite, FIFA and Overwatch have evolved into social spaces, where friends and strangers meet and play together.
Many children make new friends by playing online and get to know each other via voice or text chat while playing.
In-game chat refers to the game’s own built-in chat function which lets the entire group of people playing together, friends and strangers, talk. It’s also popular to use external chat platforms, like Skype or Discord, in which only invited members can join the chat. Being a part of an online community where like-minded people can talk to each other can be great fun — but not everyone in in-game chats has good intentions, and there are a few things to be aware of if your child is using in-game chat functions.
Online grooming
Online grooming is when an adult, sometimes using a fake identity, establishes a relationship with a child online to exploit them sexually — perhaps by asking for nude photos or to meet in person. There have been several reports of children being targeted by abusers through games like Fortnite, and it’s important that your child knows how to handle contact with people they don’t know in ‘real life’.
Explain to your child that people online aren’t always who they claim to be and that they shouldn’t be sharing personal information (their real name, their address, their school’s address) or agree to meet up with people they haven’t met in person before.
Sometimes, abusers will be quite explicit about their intentions and show their interest in children within their username or profile. Make sure your child takes this seriously and doesn’t dismiss it as ‘just a joke’.
They should be aware that abusers might start chatting during a game, but then ask to stay in touch on social media. They might even offer to send children a phone so that they are able to keep their conversations secret.
If you’re worried that your child might not yet be ready to speak to people they don’t know online, all games consoles feature parental and privacy settings that you can adjust so that your child can only communicate with people on their friends’ list - check online for information about your child’s console.
As your child grows, you might be more comfortable with letting them communicate with players they don't know - but get to know the reporting mechanisms of the game they’re playing first, and encourage them to quickly block and report anyone who harasses them, or makes them uncomfortable.
If you come across something you suspect might be online grooming, go to the NCA-CEOP site where you quickly report it.
Online bullying
Playing online with others, especially in ranked matches, can lead to heated arguments, swearing, and insults— especially when one player performs badly. Most in-game communication, whether it’s via text messages or voice chat, is immediate and unmoderated.
When a child is on the receiving end of mean comments or insults, they’ll probably be tempted to respond aggressively or seek revenge. Remind your child that this usually makes the situation worse, and that they should try not to take it personally - the issue is not with them, but rather the bully. Let your child know that they can talk to you if they have been cyberbullied and you’ll always help them.
Keep a record of the abuse - take screenshots of text messages, for example. Reporting tools vary depending on the game but they’re normally easy to find. If a game doesn’t have them, it’s probably best to avoid it.
If your child seems very upset after being bullied, there are several free support services available that can help them recover.
Think about alternatives to in-game chat
As we’ve mentioned, you can limit who your child can communicate with by adjusting the settings so that they can’t be contacted by people who are not on their friends’ list.
But another option is to set up a private chatroom for your child and their friends using platforms like Discord, which is very secure.
And some games, like Minecraft, offer the ability to set up a private server so that only approved players can enter the gaming session.