E Safety Information
Technologies and its uses are growing at an ever increasing rate, and never before have children had access to it as freely and immediately as they do now. Children are becoming more technologically capable and aware at younger ages and it is important that they are educated about how to keep safe online, especially while using the internet, where they will have access to a wide variety of media, views and information.
The internet is now a daily part of life, and an excellent research and educational tool. Children are educated in school about e-saftey and know to immediately tell an adult about anything they see that they don't think is right, or aren't happy with. It is important that while your child is at home, they are aware that e-safety is still something to be vigilant about, so please continue to discuss this with your child. This can be helped by enabling parental controls on any device (phones, tablets, laptops, pc's, games consoles) that can access the internet, as well as parental controls provided by your internet supplier.
At St Thomas of Canterbury we aim to ensure that all children have the knowledge and understanding of how to stay safe online.
Below are some useful links for helping children and adults be internet safe at home.
Please click on the links for further information:
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2021
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
http://www.childnet.com/resources/esafety-and-computing
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/
http://www.safetynetkids.org.uk/personal-safety/staying-safe-online/
General advice for parents:
- check age ratings for different apps and games and ensure they are appropriate for your child
- know your child's passcode to monitor their on-line activity
- be in the same room as your child when they are accessing the internet
- if you are not sure, you can take your device to shops such as EE who will assist parents in ensuring devices are as safe as possible for children's use
- talk to your child regularly about how to stay safe online
- if you are not sure, please seek advice
The following website is extremely useful for providing a review of the apps that children use.
http://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/
If you click on a particular app it will give you the following:
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The app description
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The official ratings (+ parent & child ratings)
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Most reasons for usage by a child
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Experts view of the app's risks
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Parental controls
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Top tips for staying safe
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How to talk to your child about safety
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What children and parents are saying about the apps