Online Safety Briefing: Term 5 (April-May 2018-19)

This is the 2018-19 Term 5 (April-May) edition of the Kent Education Safeguarding Team’s Online Safety briefings, which aim to help Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) in educational settings keep up to date with emerging online safety issues, as well as resources and research.

The following links are not endorsed, controlled or promoted by The Education People. This briefing should not be shared or forwarded directly to children, young people or parents due to the sensitive and potentially distressing nature of some content.

Before sharing content that name specific apps or websites, we recommend DSLs access the following links:

• Online Safety Alert: Think before you scare
• Engaging parents in children’s use of apps

Opportunities and Events

• Childnet: Film Competition 2019 – taking a closer look at the prizes

Must Reads!

• TES:
  • Heads lack confidence tackling online abuse
• SWGfL: Digital Ghost Stories; Impact, Risks and Reasons
• Online Media Law: Youth Perceptions of Risk, Law and Criminality on Social Media
• The Conversation:
  • Online abuse: teenagers might not report it because they often don’t see it as a problem
  • Teenagers need our support, not criticism, as they navigate life online

‘Addiction’ and Screen time

• The Independent: Screen time before bed has very little impact on mental health in teenagers, Oxford study concludes
• The Guardian:
  • WHO warnings over children's screen time disputed by UK experts
  • Technology cuts children off from adults, warns expert
• Cnet: My phone addiction was hurting me -- here's how I finally resolved it
• Huffington Post: Even Teens Think They're Using Social Media 'Too Much' – Here's Why That's A Good Thing

Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

• BBC: Video app TikTok fails to remove online predators
• The Guardian: UK watchdog blocks record number of child abuse webpages
• NSPCC: Grooming is often discovered not disclosed - so how can teachers spot the signs?

Cyberbullying

• TES: 'It's people who do the bullying - but social media helps'
• Sky News: Bullying campaigner admits cyberbullying 'not as prevalent' as offline bullying

Cybercrime

• BBC: Plan to secure internet of things with new law

Gaming and Gambling

• The Guardian: Five damaging myths about video games – let’s shoot 'em up
• Parenting for a digital future: The rise of skin gambling: how outdated legislation allows thousands of UK children to gamble online
• Polygon: Fortnite is free, but kids are getting bullied into spending money
• BBC: Video: Minecraft 10 years on, what’s next?

Information Governance, Privacy and Data

• Information Commissioner’s Office: ICO launches consultation on Code of Practice to help protect children online
• Parent Zone: A young person’s perspective on data capture: is privacy really all that?

Mental Health 

• The Guardian:
  • Cliques, clubs and cults: the treacherous allure of belonging
  • Children's social media use has ‘trivial’ effect on happiness
• BBC: What to do if you see an Instagram post about suicide
• Huffington Post: More Than a Third of Teens Worry Often About Body Image – Is Social Media to Blame?

Professional Conduct

• BBC: Fairford school worker 'sacked for view on LGBT teaching'
• TES:
  • Banned: Assistant principal created an ‘upskirt’ image of a schoolgirl
  • Are you a good digital role model?

Radicalisation and Extremism

• BBC: Facebook bans UK far right groups and leaders
• Huffington Post: Far-Right Activists Are Taking Their Message To Gen Z On TikTok
• Medium: When and How to Bring Right-Wing Propaganda into the Classroom

Sexting’, Pornography, Sexual Harassment and Relationships

• The Guardian:
  • Upskirting law comes into force in England and Wales as cases rise
  • Online pornography age checks to be mandatory in UK from 15 July
• TES:
  • Police report upskirting of school pupils
  • Teenager sentenced over ‘upskirting’ teachers
• Huffington Post: Cyberflashing: Facebook Messenger Will Now Protect Under 18s From Strangers

Social Media and Technology

• The Guardian:
  • Social media firms to be penalised for not removing child abuse
  • Facebook urged to disable 'like' feature for child users
  • No way to screen out under-13s or sex offenders on Facebook, inquiry told
• BBC: The teachers live streaming bedtime stories
• Huffington Post: InstaDebt: How Instagram is Causing Young People to Spend, Spend, Spend
• TES:
  • Mobile phones: Will banning tech compromise pupils’ futures?
  • Technology replacing books for bedtime stories
• Parenting for a Digital Future: Socialisation and the role of media in socially disadvantaged families

Trust and Reliability

• BBC:
  • 'Why I write fake online reviews'
  • Video: When misinformation online leads to death threats
• That’s Nonsense: Facebook launches “Page Transparency” to help users spot fake pages
• Sexplain UK: Internet disinformation: the blue waffle myth

Website, Apps and Gaming Guides

• Childnet: A parent’s guide to Apex Legends
• Huffington Post: What Is Yolo, The App for Snapchat Users? Everything Parents Need to Know

Educational Content

Teaching Materials, Tools and Videos

• BBC Own it: Be Body Kind Collection (KS2/3)
• Think U Know: When nudes get shared around (KS4)
• Ecclesiastical: Cyber Ready Toolkit (KS2/3)
• Childnet: Step Up, Speak Up! Films (KS4/5)
• SELMA (Social and Emotional Learning for Mutual Awareness) Project: Tackling Hate (KS3/4)
  • Toolkit (KS3/4)
  • How to make SELMA work in a school context

Articles/Resources for Parent/Carers

• BBC: How can you stop your kids viewing harmful web content?
• Internet Matters: UK Age-verification law explained
• Childnet: Setting up parental controls on Netflix
• NSPCC: Anonymous Messaging Apps: Who’s asking?
• Think U Know: 7 questions parents ask about nude selfies
• TES: Top 10 tips for teaching about digital citizenship in the home
• Be Internet Legends Parent Resources