Online Safety
The internet is a great way to connect with others and learn new things. It’s important you know how to stay safe and keep others safe online.
Top Tips for Staying Safe Online for Children & Young People
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Be careful what photos and video’s you post online or share with a “boyfriend or girlfriend”. It can be difficult to control who can see them and how they will be shared, you may not want it to go viral! Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your teachers or parents to see. Taking, making, sharing and possessing indecent images and pseudo-photographs of people under 18 is illegal and you could be prosecuted. A pseudo-photo is an image made by graphics or art which appears to be a photo. This can include, photo’s, video’s, tracings, and anything that can be converted into a photo. You can read the full “Indecent Images of children: guidance for young people” here
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Be careful who you talk to. Someone might not be who they say they are. Friends you make on-line are still strangers, even if you’ve been talking to them for a long time. You can say no and/or log out of your computer. Don’t meet up with friends you make online unless you’ve talked it through with an adult you trust first and they can help you stay safe.
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Don’t be afraid to block someone. You don’t have to put up with bullying or seeing anything that you find upsetting. Report it to the site administrator and talk to an adult you trust. Remember you can choose to close the App or Website at any time.
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Always put the privacy settings on and don’t share personal information, including details like your date of birth, home address, email address, phone number, passwords or any other information that may be useful to someone who wants to bully or hurt you.
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Think about how you’re feeling before you go online, could someone be offended or upset by what you’re saying or posting? You may say something you regret later on and damage your reputation. Your digital footprint will last forever, even if you have deleted something from your device or profile it may still be visible to other people on other networks. It has been known for young people to find their college and / or job applications be affected by something they posted online.
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Unfortunately, there are people who go online to bully others or get them to do things that could be illegal or harmful to you or others. If you are bullied or are worried about anything you see, hear, or are asked to do something either online or in the real world, tell a parent or another trusted adult, like your teacher, or contact Junior Crimestoppers @ www.fearless.org . Preserve evidence by saving or taking a screen shot of the message or material and report it to the site administrator – all sites have a no blame culture with children and young people. You do not have to do anything you don’t want to or anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
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If you see something on a social network site, a website, or someone tries to draw you into extremist or radicalised views, you can get help by contacting the Prevent Team, [email protected].
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We recommend you keep your knowledge and skills of staying safe in a digital world up-to-date by regularly looking at the ThinkUKnow website, however there are some other good sites you may also like to look at:-
Source Lewisham Safeguarding Partnership
