Charters School Online Safety Bulletin

ISSUE

2

Charters School Online Safety Bulletin

SEPTEMBER 2013

This Issue In the news

Online Safety At Charters School we recognise that new technologies have become integral to the lives of children and young people on today’s society, both within school and in their lives outside school.

We are committed to supporting parents so that they can help their children make the most of digital technologies sensibly and safely.

Common Sense Media Digital footprint

Welcome to the second Charters

information useful and any feedback or

School Online Safety Bulletin. Sadly,

specific requests for topics you would

over the summer the importance of

like us to cover will be gratefully

online safety was again brought to our

received. Please email us at

attention by the media due to the

cha.esafety@rbwm.org

tragic deaths of Hannah Smith in Leicestershire and Daniel Perry in Fife.

Hannah is thought to have killed herself after being bullied online, and it is believed that Daniel took his own life because he was being blackmailed on the internet.

We will use this newsletter to bring you online safety tips and guidance along with relevant news and information. You can contact us for online safety advice by emailing us at: cha.esafety@rbwm.org

Charters School has had an E-Safety Policy for some time. We have long recognised that the use of these exciting and innovative tools in school and at home has been shown to raise educational standards and promote student achievement. However, the use

As stated in our first Online Safety

of these new technologies can put

Bulletin (click here to download), and

young people at risk within and outside

for the benefit of parents new to

the school. The policy outlines the

Charters, we understand that for

arrangements we have in place to

many parents it can feel quite

ensure that children and young people

overwhelming to keep up with the

are able to use the internet and related

rapid development of technology and

communications technologies

online services. We intend to send out

appropriately and safely. You can find

these bulletins on an occasional basis

this policy on the Charters School

and we aim to use them to highlight

website by clicking here.

online safety issues, trends and resources that can help you and your family enjoy these new technologies.

We hope that you will find the

Jargon Snapchat

In the news

A photo messaging application for mobile

Over the summer two social media sites in particular featured heavily in the news.

Twitter found itself in the spotlight when a number of female journalists found themselves the target of extremely abusive and threatening comments, and ask.fm was the site alleged to be at the centre of the bullying experienced by Leicestershire teen Hannah Smith. Of these two sites Twitter is more widely used and understood by adults, but should you be interested in further guidance about its use you can access Twitter’s own safety tips for parents here.

phones. It allows users to share photos with others, said photos being designed to vanish from the recipient’s phone within several seconds.

It is believed to be a popular app for sexting.

Ask.fm is a social networking service which is based around users asking each other questions. The UK Safer Internet Centre has produced a very useful ask.fm fact sheet for parents which can be accessed by clicking here.

Sexting A term used to describe a range of behaviours whereby young people use technology to

Common Sense Media

explore sex and

Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.

sending flirtatious

Although based in the US, this resource is just as valuable for parents in the UK. Common Sense Media reviews books, movies, TV shows, video games, apps, music, and websites and

relationships – from picture texts to exchanging hardcore sexual videos. By having

rates them in terms of age -appropriate educational content, messages/role models, violence, sex, and profanity, and more for parents making media choices for their children.

Common Sense Media has also developed a set of ratings that are intended to gauge the educational value of videos, games, and apps.

Common Sense Media has also produced a very useful app, called Kids Media, which is available for free for iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire devices. This app allows you to access their huge database of age-based ratings and reviews whilst you are on the move.

in their possession, or distributing, indecent images of a person under the age of 18 on to someone else, young people in the UK could be breaking the law.

PEGI PEGI labels appear on the front and back of computer & video game packaging. They provide a reliable indication of the suitability of the game content in terms of the protection of minors.

The age rating does not take into account the difficulty level or skills required to play the game.

Useful websites

Digital footprint The term digital footprint refers to a person’s interaction and presence within a digital or online environment. It is the trail of information left behind after browsing the internet, updating a blog, or sending an instant message to a friend. All this is recorded, somewhere, somehow and it becomes similar to a fingerprint.

A digital footprint can also be referred to as an ‘internet footprint’ or a ‘cyber shadow’. It refers to information that has been left behind as a result of a user’s web browsing activities, either intentionally or unintentionally and these

days more and more companies or other agencies might actively seek out this information.

The size of a footprint can change according to the extent a person uses internet-enabled technologies and online communication tools.

Have you ever tried Googling yourself? You might be surprised. A person’s online presence is determined primarily by how much information is posted about them (by themselves or others!) and which can be found by searches.

Cyber vetting is the use of internet search engines and social networking sites such as Google and

Vodafone Digital Parenting http:// www.vodafone.com/ content/index/

Facebook to conduct informal checks on prospective employees. In a recent survey, 42% of employers admitted to using the internet to search for details of applicants as part of the their recruitment processes. Some colleges and universities may also begin to use these techniques when selecting students for oversubscribed courses.

Young people especially need to be fully aware that their online activity could affect their chances of a university place or job in the future.

A few useful tips 

Keep passwords safe / change them often and do not share them (ever!)



Do not post or send messages or images that you wouldn’t want everyone else to see – keep them private and retain control

parents.html

CEOP http://ceop.police.uk/

Common Sense Media http:// www.commonsensemedia. org/

Thinkuknow http:// www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

UK Safer Internet Centre http:// www.saferinternet.org.uk/

CBBC Stay Safe 

Be sensible about what you put online. It’s worth following the ’nan rule’: if you wouldn’t want your nan to read/see it, then don’t post it!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ cbbc/topics/stay-safe



Feel the need to say something online that is racist, sexist, homophobic, sizeist, disablist? Don’t! Keep it to yourself



Google yourself and remove any personal, private and inappropriate information. Set up a Google alert with your name



Remember—the internet never forgets so think before you post!

Useful websites The infographic below was produced by Microsoft based upon research they carried out for Data Privacy Day. More details about this survey, as well as a collection of very useful resources that focus on managing your online privacy can be found by clicking here.

Vodafone Digital Parenting http:// www.vodafone.com/ content/index/ parents.html

CEOP http://ceop.police.uk/

Common Sense Media http:// www.commonsensemedia. org/

Thinkuknow http:// www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

UK Safer Internet Centre http:// www.saferinternet.org.uk/

CBBC Stay Safe http://www.bbc.co.uk/ cbbc/topics/stay-safe