Safer Internet Day 2025: Empowering Teachers and Parents to Keep Kids Safe Online

11th February 2025P Chippendale

Safer Internet Day 2025 is an opportunity for teachers and parents to come together and learn about the latest online safety issues and how to protect children and teens. This article provides valuable resources and tips to help educators and parents navigate the digital landscape and ensure a safer online environment for children.

Understanding Online Safety Risks:

  • Discuss the potential dangers of the internet, such as cyberbullying, online predators, inappropriate content, and privacy concerns.
  • Emphasise the importance of teaching children about these risks and how to stay safe online.

Resources for Teachers:

  • Common Sense Media: A non-profit organisation that provides comprehensive resources for teachers, including lesson plans, videos, and guides on internet safety and digital citizenship.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ 

  • Childnet : A non-profit organization that offers resources for teachers and parents on online safety, including tip sheets, articles, and webinars.

https://www.childnet.com/resources/embedding-online-safety/

Cyberbullying Prevention:

  • Encourage teachers to create a safe and supportive classroom environment where students feel comfortable reporting instances of cyberbullying.
  • Provide students with strategies for dealing with cyberbullying, such as ignoring the bully, blocking them, and reporting the incident to a trusted adult.

Online Privacy and Digital Footprint:

  • Educate students about the importance of protecting their personal information online.
  • Teach children how to manage their digital footprint and make informed decisions about what they share online.

Parental Involvement:

  • Encourage parents to talk to their children about online safety and set clear expectations for internet use.
  • Provide parents with resources and tips for monitoring their children’s online activities and helping them make safe choices.

South Tyneside Online Safety Hub

Omegle – Is it still a thing?

21st November 2024P Chippendale

If you’re a parent of young children and concerned about Omegle, here’s a guide to help you navigate the situation and protect your child:

What is Omegle?

Omegle is a website which is specifically designed to allow users to talk to strangers.

Omegle (/oʊˈmɛɡəl/ oh-MEG-əl) was a free, web-based online chat service that allowed users to socialise with others without the need to register. The service randomly paired users in one-on-one chat sessions where they could chat anonymously using either text or video.

It operated from 2009 to 2023 operating under the motto “Talk to strangers!”. It was closed down in November 2023 after a number of exploitation lawsuits.  It is free and anonymous to use, with no account registration or age verification. Many concerns have been raised about the safety and use of Omegle by children and young people. 

Click the links below for more information

What is Omegle? What parents need to know | Internet Matters

https://natterhub.com/platform-advice/omegle 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67364634 

Is omegle still a thing?

Unfortunately a number of apps and websites have filled the gap and many use their Omegle name and logo such as Monkey App.



Safety concerns

There are many safety concerns for children on Omegle, including age verification, adult content, exploitation, unmoderated chat, and cyberbullying.

Understand Omegle and Its Risks

  • Risks Involved:
    • Exposure to explicit or inappropriate content.
    • Potential for exploitation, cyberbullying, or predatory behavior.
    • Lack of age verification, making it unsafe for young children.

Advice

  • Avoid mentioning the Omegle site by name unless your child mentions it; if they’re not already aware of the site, it’s perhaps best that it stays that way. Instead, aim to speak openly and honestly with your child about chat sites in general and the many risks that can be present when talking to others online.
  • Discuss (in an age-appropriate way) that sadly there are some people who use chat sites to get to know others for the wrong reasons.
  • Omegle promotes the concept ‘Talk to Strangers’ as its selling point; this is something we should be continuously educating children about and the related risks.
  • Talk about information that is personal and private, reminding children that anything they share can be recorded or copied, then forwarded or shared with others.

Use Parental Controls

  • Block Omegle: Use parental control apps or your router settings to block access to Omegle and similar sites.
  • Monitor Internet Use: Keep an eye on your child’s browsing history and apps to ensure they’re staying safe online.
  • Supervise Device Use: Encourage device use in common areas of your home, rather than in private spaces.

Encourage Healthy Online Habits

  • Promote Safe Alternatives: Introduce age-appropriate, educational platforms or apps where your child can interact safely with peers.
  • Teach About Privacy: Explain why they should never share personal information online, including their name, address, or photos.

Be a Role Model

  • Show responsible online behavior and respect for digital boundaries. Your actions set an example for your child.

Recognize Warning Signs

  • If your child is secretive about their internet use, spends excessive time online, or seems anxious, it could indicate they’re encountering unsafe online interactions. Address the issue with understanding and care.

Stay Informed

  • Learn about current online platforms and trends. This knowledge will help you guide your child more effectively.
  • Join parenting forums or consult resources to stay updated on best practices for internet safety.

Be Approachable

  • Create an environment where your child feels comfortable coming to you with questions or concerns about their online experiences. Reassure them that your priority is their safety, not punishment.
  • By staying proactive, setting clear boundaries, and fostering open communication, you can help your child navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.

Safe Chat: The Best Messaging Apps for Children

Messaging apps with GIFs, stickers, and games offer children a richer experience than traditional SMS.

There are several considerations when choosing the best messaging app for your family. You be the judge

With so many online messaging apps available to download for free – not to mention the private messaging features available through social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok – reviewing them can be overwhelming.

Some things to consider are

  • How much autonomy is there for children on the app? 
  • Can strangers interact with each other? 
  • What parental controls are available? 
  • What type of content could a child be exposed to when using the app? 
  • What are the minimum age requirements for the app? 
  • Does the app have a decoy and deception component?

https://southtyneside.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/articles/safe-chat-the-best-messaging-apps-for-children-1 

 

NEW- End-to-End Encryption and Children

15th January 2024P Chippendale

NEW- End-to-end encryption

As CEOP Ambassadors we are obviously concerned about the roll out of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) on Meta Platforms.

” Whilst encryption plays an important role in  protecting our privacy online, this must be balanced with the imperative to safeguard children and young people online.

The roll out of E2EE will affect the ability of social media companies to detect child sexual abuse on their platforms, and instead places undue pressure on children and young people to self-report instances of abuse, rather than platforms  having security features in place to both prevent and detect abuse before it occurs.

You can support children and young people by encouraging parents, carers and professionals to talk to them about both the benefits and potential risks of E2EE, helping them to make informed decisions and know how to seek help if needed.

Find further information and advice for parents and carers, professionals and young people.

Find out more on the National Crime Agency’s response to the roll out of end-to-end encryption.”

Many thanks to our colleagues at CEOP for this update and the resources.

 

Safeguarding Briefing from Andrew Hall

End-to-End Encryption, previously the domain of spies and those seeking to exist below the observation of the authorities is now becoming a must-have feature in the e-communication world. The inexorable rise of e-communication fueled by the increased sophistication of mobile phones, and communication apps such as WhatsApp and the direct message feature of Instagram has made image sharing an essential of telephonic dialogue.

The commencement of End-to-End Encryption as a feature of all messaging apps, owes much to the screen capturing of private images and texts in the adult world. However, the question remains is the enhancement of security via this level of encryption an advantage or disadvantage to child protection?

 

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), has recently published an article on this topic. Please follow the link below to find out more:

https://www.iwf.org.uk/resources/end-to-end-encryption-and-keeping-your-child-safe-online/

A great update from Andrew Hall.

Go to his website to sign up to a FREE fantastic weekly briefing on safeguarding.

LEGO supporting E Safety

8th November 2023A Hayward

As you may know we love Lego.   The education team at Lego have created some wonderful activities for children aged 6-9 years which I think would be very useful for parents and the classroom. There are six different topics which are designed to help children navigate the online world safely, including conversation starters. The topics include cyber bullying, screen time, false information and others. All the activities and resources are free. See HERE for further information.

 

 

5 minutes on Friday 21-07-23

27th July 2023P Chippendale

I hope you are well and looking forward to a well-deserved break, let’s hope some of the glorious weather comes our way!  This will be the final weekly update, returning the first week in September, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you well and I hope you have a lovely break.

Keeping it short and sweet this week

1.  For Parents – Online Gaming

Come rain or shine, over the summer holidays many children and young people will be spending longer on gaming consoles. It is imperative that parents take an active role and understand gaming (it isn’t just playing games), the games their children are playing, potential risks and how to mitigate those risks.

Internet Matters have a whole gaming hub, a library of information just for parents covering the areas above and more. You can get to the gaming hub HERE.

  1. Recently published subject reports.

Some Summer reading!  Here are some documents you might want to have a look at.

Mathematics subject report

This subject report evaluates the common strengths and weaknesses of mathematics in the schools inspected. The report shares what has been learned and builds on the Ofsted mathematics research review which identified factors that can contribute to high-quality school maths curriculums, assessment, pedagogy and systems. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE REPORT

The History Subject report was also released this month.  Click here to access it.

And you can access the recently updated Reading Framework here.

 

 

Until September, have a lovely break.  Enjoy any adventures you have, travel safely and we’ll be back to do it all again next year!

Amanda

HAF – Holiday Activities + Food

10th July 2023A Hayward

Click here to see all of the events and book your summer of fun.

 

The programme offers a range of fun activities for children and young people to enjoy independently or with their families, including dancing, games, crafts, sports, and outdoor challenges, along with nutritious meals at each event.

Funded by the Department for Education, the Holiday Activities and Food programme is available to children and young people aged 5-16 and up to the age of 18 for those identified with SEND.

Places for the clubs must be booked in advance. Any families who need additional help with food are reminded that they can access local food banks.

To find out more visit: www.southtyneside.gov.uk/holidayclub

Bookings open at 4pm today (Monday 10th July).

WhatsApp – New Features

29th June 2023A Hayward

WhatsApp – New Features

As one of the most popular messaging apps around the world used (in our experience) from Year 3 upwards, WhatsApp continue to add new features to keep users onboard. Two of the newest features are the ability to edit a sent message within 15 minutes of it being sent, and ‘Keep in Chat’.

The first (edit within 15 minutes) is exactly what it says. You can send a message to someone or a group and, if you need to make changes you can do so within 15 minutes. This is good, particularly for someone who may have rushed a reply to something and didn’t critically think about it before pressing ‘Send’, or realises that the message could be taken out of context.

The second, ‘Keep in Chat’ is where someone can select certain messages that they want to keep in a folder called ‘Kept messages’.

There’s more detail to the explanation than I have given above, take a look at the Childnet article HERE for further details, including the positives and negatives to these new features.