Do you know your TikTok

Social media: like it or loathe it, it is part of the everyday fabric of our hectic lives and our children most likely cannot remember a time without the internet, mobile phones and social media.

Just like learning to become a good swimmer, you don’t simply throw a child in the pool and expect them to know how to do front crawl. It is the same with social media and internet safety: children need to be shown and taught what is the correct and safe way.

For parents, part of the issue is they often don’t use all of the platforms themselves so here’s a guide to help.

Facebook This was one of the first social media apps however teenagers are using this social media less and less. A person will post an update to their account which all of their friends can see. Pictures and videos can be posted. Facebook will link to Facebook Messenger which is how people chat in real time on Facebook. In a fairly recent development, Facebook Messenger can now be used separately to Facebook.

Instagram The most popular social media site of 2020, Instagram has had well over 1 billion users a month for quite a while. Instagram is more about posting photos than Facebook. Young people will specifically take photos for the ‘gram’ and can then comment on other people’s photographs.

TikTok Home of the short, snappy video. TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media sites and it is not just about copying the dances. You can get recipes, mental health advice and videos of cute animals but TikTok does have a darker side as evidenced by recent distressing videos which were shared over a million times.

Snapchat This site is specifically for messaging friends. Once messages have been read or photos seen then they will disappear. One of the features of Snapchat is ‘Snap maps’ which tells a user’s friends where their phone is. DO YOU KNOW YOUR TIKTOK FROM YOUR INSTA? Bex Brown, Director of Safeguarding and PHSEE gives parents the ‘inside skinny’ on social media; the dos and don’ts and how to translate some of the social media lingo!

We would always recommend this feature is disabled. Also, users will talk about a ‘streak’. This is the number of days that two people have messaged each other, with both messaging every day. Some people find this rather addictive and struggle to break the streak.

WhatsApp Another site specifically designed for messaging friends. The difference is that the messages don’t disappear after they have been read.

Twitter Original home of the hashtag and getting your message across in under 140 characters – and now frequently used by Donald Trump amongst others! Often used to give your opinion to the world in general. Much less targeted to individual people than some of the other sites. ASK BEX:

Is it ok for my child to have an Instagram account if they are under 13?

No. The minimum age for an Instagram account is 13. There are various reasons for this but by young people having an Instagram account earlier, they are being exposed to issues that they may not be emotionally mature enough to cope with.

Is there a way to keep track of Snapchat messages?

Messages can’t be saved but there are apps that will automatically take a screen shot whenever a photo is opened on Snapchat. One of the design features of Snapchat is that the photos cannot be viewed after a specific period of time. Due to this feature it was originally misused by people posting inappropriate photos, although this is not its purpose.

Do you have advice for setting rules for taking and sharing photos – what should and shouldn’t be shared?

My advice is always: only post things that you are happy for your Grandma or a complete stranger to see. There are a few basic things to consider like checking the background of any photos that might alert people to where a pupil goes to school or even gaining personal information like date of birth.

In addition, consideration needs to be given to the impression pupils are leaving for other people. We now talk about a ‘Digital Tattoo’ rather than a ‘Digital Footprint’ as once photos are posted, they may be on the Internet permanently.

Who can I talk to if I believe my child is having a difficult time with social media?

Please speak to your daughter’s Housemistress/master, me or Jessica Briggs, Deputy Head (Pastoral).

Your daughter can also report issues through Tootoot – the anonymous messaging service that we have in School.

In addition, social media issues can be reported to the social media site and also reported via the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOPS) by going to thinkuknow.co.uk and clicking on ‘Report Abuse’.

Are pupils taught about Internet Safety and social media awareness in school?

Yes, every year pupils get taught about these topics in an age-appropriate way during their PSHEE lessons. Topics range from creating a good password and safe use of social media, to how data is gathered and used online. We also look at countering online bullying and sexting.

Do you have any tips for safer use of social media?

Don’t post anything in a public area that you wouldn’t be happy telling a stranger in the street.

Turn security settings up so that their accounts are private and they stay in control of who sees what.

Pupils should also be encouraged to listen to their gut feeling about somebody and know that they are able to block that account. If they don’t feel good about the interaction, tell somebody and block them.