Online Safety @ St Nics'

Online Safety 

What is Online Safety?

Online safety is the safe use of information systems and electronic communications, including the internet, mobile phones and games consoles. It is important that children and young people understand the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information technology.

• online safety concerns safeguarding children and young people in the digital world.
• online safety emphasises learning to understand and use new technologies in a positive way.
• online safety is less about restriction and more about education about the risks as well as the benefits so we can feel confident online.
• online safety is concerned with supporting children and young people to develop safer online behaviours both in and out of school.

It is crucial that parents work with us to keep everyone safe online. At school we use the internet a lot for research, coding and much more. The internet is an exciting place, however it is important that children know how to protect themselves online.

A family agreement is great way to get children and parents on board with how we use the internet safely. This can just be a conversation with your child where you agree some rules around using the internet at home, at school or at a friend’s home.                             

Snap Chat Update

Concerns have been raised about a new Snapchat feature that reveals the location of the user. The feature displays a map of nearby friends, showing their latest location gathered using a smartphone’s GPS sensor. Users of the app can also search for locations such as individual schools, with the app displaying public photos and videos sent by students. While the feature is designed to help friends meet up or attend events together, it has raised fears that it could be abused. The UK Safer Internet Centre said: "It is important to be careful about who you share your location with, as it can allow people to build up a picture of where you live, go to school and spend your time. Given how specific this new feature is on Snapchat - giving your location to a precise pinpoint on a map - we would encourage users not to share their location, especially with people they don’t know in person.”

TOP TIP: To hide your location from friends, you can turn on ghost mode in Snap Map. Pinch the screen when you are in selfie mode to bring up Snap Map. Then, click the settings icon in the top right hand corner and set the phone to "ghost mode". Then Snapchat will stop sharing your location.