Online Safety October 2014

Background  85% of children aged 5-7 have access to the internet at home  75% of children your age have a social media profile  I know all about my phone and what I do, why is this important?  You need to be aware of the risks that you face as a young person online

Cyberbullying  This differs from normal bullying as it is not in person and often involves people using different personas or names  Some of the most common examples of places that cyberbullying occurs are BBM, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  Most commonly this involves sending threatening messages or images  There are some straight forward way to deal with cyberbullies

6 top rules for dealing with cyberbullies 1. Do not respond or retaliate, this often makes things worse 2. Block them 3. Save/print offensive messages – remember to include time and date 4. Never pass on offensive material 5. Consider changing your username or ID 6. Seek help and report the problem

Grooming  This is the process used by some adults to try and encourage young people to engage in inappropriate behaviour online or sometimes in person  People who groom young people can be from any background, gender, age  Think, do you know who they are?  Are they paying you lots of compliments or offering gifts?  Is what they are asking you weird or making you feel uneasy?  If it does, block them and speak to someone!

Sexting  This involves sending indecent images to others  It is illegal to have indecent images of someone under the age of 18 on your phone, regardless of your own age  Once you have sent images or videos they are out of your control and can be shared with anyone

Information Sharing  Be careful about what you share online  Often privacy settings on social media are very low. Check your settings  Many apps and programs share location, age, gender and other information which can be seen by anyone

Inappropriate material  Below are examples of things which are inappropriate for young people to be using online:  Pornographic material  Hateful, racist or extremist websites  Gambling sites  Self-harm websites  Graphic violence

Who can help?  Parents  Adults at school – especially Ms …., Mr ….., Mr ….  For confidential information and advice try:  Childline  NSPCC

Time for reflection  Do I use the internet safely?  Do I know the dangers I face online as a young person? (Grooming, information sharing, inappropriate material, cyberbullying, sexting)  Who can help if I have concerns about Online Safety?