Online Safety

Online Safety is something we take very seriously at Littlebourne School. Children have lessons on keeping safe online and our computer Leaders lead assemblies and visit classes to share the important message of how to stay safe online.

Children not only have access to the internet through computers and laptops, but also on mobile phones, games consoles and tablets. This makes it increasingly difficult to monitor and supervise their online activity. Yet, alongside all the benefits of the internet, we are all aware of the very real dangers it poses.

Here are some of the “golden rules” to help protect your child online.

• Discuss as a family how the internet will be used in your home. Talk about what information should be kept private (such as age, address) and decide on your rules for accepting friend requests from strangers.

• Try to make sure that you know as much about your child’s online activity as you do about where they go and what they do offline.

• Talk openly with your children about the things they do online. Ask them which websites and games they use and discuss why they like them.

• Help your child to gain an understanding of how, once a picture video or comment is sent or posted online, it can be very difficult to remove it as other people can forward it or share it with others without them knowing.

• Make sure your child knows how important it is that they tell an adult if anything happens online that makes them feel scared, worried or uncomfortable.

Consider stopping all internet activity an hour before bedtime and storing devices in a central place at night when your child goes to bed. This helps to protect your child’s sleep pattern and prevent late night conversations!

Some parents have talked to us about using Parental Control functions for computers, mobile phones and games consoles to block unsuitable content and to help prevent contact from unknown people.

Here are some links which we hope will be helpful:

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

https://www.internetmatters.org/

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/