Safer Internet Day 2014 will take place on 11th February 2014, with the theme 'Let's create a better internet together'.
Dear Parents
As part of our commitment to keeping our children and families safe, tomorrow we will be working with children to explore the opportunities and benefits, alongside the dangers and problems, that the internet can present within Safer Internet Day.
The internet is an integral part of our children’s education and recreation, as digital natives (having lived in a world with the internet since birth) they are often more skilled and knowledgeable about how things work and quicker than us adults in keeping up to date with developments and the changing use of ICT.
In school our systems are maintained by Staffordshire Learning Technologies who ensure rigorous filters are applied to ensure children only access safe information via the internet. A piece of software reports back any inappropriate searches for staff to follow up as required with individuals. Within schools children do not have access to any form of Social Media (which of course is not appropriate for any children within our school who are all under the age of 13 years).
Nevertheless we do appreciate that it can be much harder for parents at home to maintain such robust monitoring systems unless parents have a particular skill or background in ICT. Indeed as children get older and move on to their next schools their internet use will undoubtedly increase and become more difficult to monitor with greater access to handheld technologies through smart phones and tablet devices. Communication and activity is instant and affords young people privacy in their interaction to a greater degree through chat rooms, instant messaging, email and applications for sharing private images such as Snapchat or Instagram.
With this in mind it is essential that we educate our children from a young age to stay safe online and act responsibly in much the same way as we would educate them about stranger danger or road crossing as part of their personal development. Please see information below for parents to consider should they wish to do so at home. We do appreciate that many of you will have good systems in place to support your children, but think from time to time it is good for us all to think about how we use the internet at home and in school.
Resources
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre provide a really valuable range of resources for parents to access at the following address: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
Two really useful short videos parents may like to watch themselves are available at : http://youtu.be/_o8auwnJtqE andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06mtDMGvwZE
Please see below for a 10 point plan for keeping your family safe online:
Tip 1: Minimise private unrestricted internet use :
In a home with children, where you place the family computer is one of the most important decisions you can make. We recommend that you set up the computer in a high-traffic family area and limit the number of hours your children spend on it. Be sure you have computer security software with parental controls. Where children use handheld devices it may be worth collecting these in at bedtime or at times when you want to prohibit unmonitored use.
Tip 2 : Decide exactly what is okay and what is not okay with regard to:
The kinds of websites that are appropriate to visit.
The kinds of things your children can discuss online and language that is considered
inappropriate.
Tip 3: Maintain your privacy:
Never log in with user names that reveal true identity or that are provocative.
Never reveal your passwords.
Never reveal phone numbers or addresses.
Never post information that reveals your identity.
Never post inappropriate photos or ones that may reveal your identity (for example: city or school names on shirts).
Never share any information with strangers met online.
Never meet face-to-face with strangers met online.
Never open attachments from strangers.
Once you have established the rules, post them next to the computer.
Tip 4: Install security software:
Make sure you have robust security software that protects your computer against viruses, hackers, and spyware. It should also filter offensive content, pictures, and websites. This software should be updated frequently, as new threats are emerging daily.
Tip 5: Install parental controls:
All the major security software providers offer parental controls. Be sure to enable them. If you are using freeware or software that doesn’t have parental controls, consider purchasing software that does. Take time to learn how these controls work, and use options that filter and block inappropriate material.
Of course, these tools have their limitations. Nothing can take the place of attentive and responsive parents who monitor their children when they are online.
Tip 6: Continually remind children that people online aren’t always who they say they are:
No matter how often you chat with online “friends,” no matter how long you’ve been chatting, and no matter how well you think you know them, people you meet online are strangers. It is easy to lie and pretend you are someone else when you are online. Children especially need to know that a new “friend” may really be a 40-year-old adult rather than someone their own age.
Social networking websites like Facebook are an ideal way to meet new people online. Therefore, you must visit these sites and check out your children’s profile to ensure that inappropriate conversations are not taking place and that unaccept¬able photos are not being posted. You should monitor your children’s instant messaging conversations to make sure they aren’t being pursued by an online predator. (NB children under 13 years of age should not have Facebook accounts)
Tip 7: Create strong passwords and keep them to yourself
To create passwords that are difficult to crack, start by using at least 8 characters and then use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords should be changed periodically to reduce the likelihood of a particular password being compromised over time.
Techniques for creating strong passwords:
Use text speak to make your password more difficult including numbers, capital letters and lower case letters, e.g. “GR8way2B”
Use several small words with punctuation marks, e.g. “betty,boop$car”
Put punctuation in the middle of a word, e.g. “Ham%burger”
Use an unusual way of contracting a word, e.g. “ppcrnbll”
Use the first letter of each word in a phrase, with a random number, e.g. “hard to crack this password” = “htc5tp”
Don’t share your passwords!
Tip 8 : Talk openly to children about their internet use without making them feel that you will take it off them if they make a mistake.
When you talk to young children about Internet safety, do it with the computer turned off, so that you have their undivided attention. Start off by explaining that a computer is a tool and that the Internet is like a giant electronic library full of information.
Explain why it’s important to be safe online because the computer can be an open door to your important personal information. Talk to them about how bad people can take control of your PC and break it, so that you have to buy a new one.
Children are often one step ahead of adults in their technical ability. Try to foster open communication with your child so that they report something to you if it is unsafe or unsuitable e.g explicit images or site content, bad language, cyber bullying etc. If they feel by telling a grown up about something that is unsuitable, their use will be restricted as a consequence, you may find that they don’t tell.
Tip 9: Agree time limits with your child for internet use.
It is very easy nowadays for children to have more social activity online than face to face experiences, playing outside with friends as was possibly the case for many of us growing up. However, research shows that too much time online can cause children to become depressed or lack in their development of interpersonal skills. Some parents (particularly those of teenagers) have taken the extra step to disable their internet connection overnight. This came about as it was becoming a problem with young people gaming throughout the night with the ease of players to play against 24 hours a day around the globe.
Tip 10: Check your child’s browsing history from time to time.
Monitor what your child has been looking at online by clicking on the tools tab online and look at History. Are you happy with what children are looking at? If the browsing history has been deleted this too can raise an issue, why are they deleting what they have been looking at? Agree with your child that you want a full browsing history on the computer at all times. The fact that children feel their internet use is being monitored closely will help steer them to make good choices.
NB These tips are not an exhaustive list of measures parents can take to keep their families safe online and provide just a brief summary.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and I think you will agree keeping our children and community safe together and empowering young people to know their digital rights and responsibilities is paramount in the world in which we live today.
Best wishes
Miss J Parker