Keep your child safe online -  Government links February 2021

It is important to have regular conversations about staying safe online and to encourage children to speak to you if they come across something worrying online.

These resources provide guidance for parents and carers to keep children safe online. They will, amongst other things, support you to talk to your child about a range of online safety issues, set up home filtering in a child-friendly way and set up age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices:

• Thinkuknow by the National Crime Agency - Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (NCA-CEOP) provides resources for parents and carers and children of all ages to help keep children safe online
• Childnet has developed guidance for parents and carers to begin a conversation about online safety, as well as guidance on keeping under-fives safe online
• Parent Info is a collaboration between Parent Zone and NCA-CEOP, providing support and guidance for parents and carers related to the digital world from leading experts and organisations
• National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has guidance for parents and carers to help keep children safe online
• UK Safer Internet Centre provides tips and advice for parents and carers to keep children safe online - you can also report any harmful content found online through the UK Safer Internet Centre

On  line game Fortnite warning

 Many of you may be aware of the risks and concerns around children playing the online game Fortnite, which has a 12 rating but is played by much younger children.

We have been made aware of an emerging trend, where people are playing strip Fortnite using webcams. The rule is that when you achieve a “kill” you have to strip off, potentially adding an additional risk from children being exposed to and/or sharing indecent images whilst playing the game.

Please could you be vigilant about your child's on line activities and please report any  inappropriate/unlawful contact with children online.

Staying Safe Online – Fortnite advice

Fortnite is a popular strategy survival game for PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , Windows, and Mac which combines Minecraft resource collecting and building with team based survival shooting games.  The main action is shooting and attacking with melee weapons, but players can also build fortifications and work with teammates to defend survivors from waves of enemy monsters.  Fortnite has leapt to greater popularity with its Battle Royale mode that can be played for free and pits up to 100 players against each other while a mysterious cloud steadily reduces the size of the war zone, creating knife edge and climatic gun fights.

However we would like to remind parents whose children play ‘Fortnite’ to take steps to ensure they’re staying safe online.  We would also like to remind you that in the UK the Video Standards council rate Fortnite as PEGI 12 for frequent scenes of mild violence.  It is not suitable for persons under 12 years of age.

The NSPCC have advice for parents amid concerns over a game function that automatically allows users to speak to other players through voice and text chat functions. It means children can be contacted by anyone else who is playing the game. Users can disable voice chat in the game via the settings menu, but the text chat function cannot be turned off.

The NSPCC offering parents the following advice:

• Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen.
• Explore your child’s online activities together. Understand why they like using certain apps, games or websites and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe.
• Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games.
• Manage your technology and use the privacy and parental control settings available to keep your child safe.
• Younger players can find that Fortnite makes them cross or angry when they lose, taking regular breaks can help with this, as well as playing with parents nearby, or in shared family rooms.

For more advice please visit the following site:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

Useful Websites:

The following websites provide a wealth of information, advice and guidance on all e-safety related matters.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

https://www.internetmatters.org/

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/

www.nspcc.org.uk

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/        

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home 

Snapchat: 'Snap Maps'

Snapchat has introduced a new feature which can potentially allow someone to track your location. 

The following advice can be found from the UK Safer Internet Centre:

• This location based map allows users to see where in the country their Snapchat contacts are, as well as seeing location based photos and videos. 
• 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.

There are three settings for sharing your location on the map, these are; Ghost mode, My Friends, and Select Friends. But what do these settings mean?

• Ghost Mode
  Ghost Mode means that you are the only person who can see your location on the map.
  Within Ghost Mode you can still see the locations of your friends but they will be unable to see you. This setting will ensure that you have complete control over who knows your location.
• My Friends
  My Friends means that all of your contacts on Snapchat can see your location. If turning on this setting then it would be important for users to review their Snapchat contacts and also make sure that they never add someone they don’t know in person onto Snapchat.
• Select Friends
  This setting allows users to look through their friend list and then decide which of their friends they want to be able to view their location. This setting gives users the opportunity to control who can view their location.

Changing settings

When first opening the Snap Map users get to make a decision of who they want to be able to view their location. Once these settings are in place they can always be changed in Snapchat’s settings. This can be done in two ways:

1. In the Snapchat settings
   In the Snapchat screen click on the Settings (cog) icon> click on ‘see my location’ > Choose the setting which suits you
2. On the Snap Map
   Click on the setting button in the top right of the map > choose the setting which suits you

Top tips

Sharing location can be a risky thing to do. Our tips for location sharing are:

• Only share your location with people you know in person. Never share your location with strangers.
• Don’t add contacts to Snapchat if you don’t know them in person.
• Regularly review your settings and take an active decision about whether you want people to know your location. Remember you can switch this off at any time. Think about where you’re sharing your location. Location services such as Snap Maps can lead people to your house. Think about what times you’re on the app and whether these are locations you want to share – if not, then turn this off within your settings.

‘POKÉMON GO’ game

The supervising lead for Safer Schools Officers across Leeds has given the following advice for players:

·         Be cautious to alerting strangers to where you will be in the future

·         Be careful where you leave ‘beacons’

·         Parents should supervise children when using the app

·         Always pay attention to your surroundings and especially do not play in areas where traffic runs through or in dangerous

           locations such as around water, cliff tops, craggy outcrops and mountainous regions.

·         Where possible play with friends and stay in a group and have at least one of your friends as a ‘lookout’

·         Play at home -  you can use lures to attract Pokémon to you

·         Keep your device safe and out of sight – your phone will vibrate when a Pokémon is near

The makers of the game have said:

“We encourage all people to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends or family, especially when you are exploring unfamiliar places. Please remember to be safe and alert at all times”