Information For Parents

Technology and the Internet can be fantastic – they can help our children to learn, to create amazing things, to communicate and to entertain themselves and each other. Our children are surrounded by this technology – it is part and parcel of their daily lives.  

Using technology and the Internet well is about using it safely and responsibly. Things can go wrong by accident or if behaviour isn’t sensible or respectful.  Our job is not to stop our young people from using technology but to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to successfully navigate themselves through the online world, so they become good digital citizens.

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Snapchat

Last week SnapChat, used regularly by many children and young people, launched a new feature. SnapMaps allows users to see the location of their contacts. This feature allows others to accurately pinpoint where you are. There are three possible privacy settings:

• Ghost mode, where only you can see your position;

• My Friends mode, where any contact can see your location; and

• Select Friends mode, just those who you choose can see you

ChildNet have posted a thorough explanation of SnapMaps and how to ensure users stay safe. Well worth a read to share with anyone you know who uses the app

http://www.childnet.com/blog/introducing-snap-maps-the-new-location-sharing-feature-in-snapchat

Yellow app

A Tinder-like app for teenagers is putting young people at risk of predators by having no checks on users’ age, the NSPCC has warned.

The Yellow app claims to have five million users and is the second most popular free lifestyle app after Tinder on the Apple app store in the UK.

Like Tinder, users can connect with strangers by swiping right on their profile picture. When both users mutually ‘like’ each other they can chat by adding each other on picture-messaging service Snapchat.

But unlike dating app Tinder - which raised its minimum age to 18 this summer after charities said paedophiles could use it to groom children - Yellow does not have checks in place to verify ages.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/21/rspcc-warning-over-tinder-like-app-for-teenagers/

Monkey

This social networking app randomly connects users with people using Snapchat for a short live video chat, with the option of adding the person on Snapchat to continue the connection. Before connecting, users can see the ‘alleged’ age and gender of the potential ‘friend’ and can choose to accept the video chat or not. Be aware that there is no verification of age and the app relies on random introductions. Personal information is collected and can be shared. Dangers include inappropriate contact and content shared live between users. 

eSafety Useful Links

The links on this page are designed to support you in helping your children stay as safe as they can be when using technology, including the Internet.

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Click on the icons to access useful links.

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Child Exploitation Online Protection (CEOP) website is a police agency tackling child abuse on the internet.

Internet Watch Foundation website is the UK’s hotline for reporting illegal content found on the Internet.

UK Safer Internet Centre - Need help? This webpage contains information about what to do if a child comes to you for help and advice about how to report online concerns such as cyberbullying, inappropriate content or illegal behaviour.

Families Online - Information on children using a dangerous app and talking to strangers.

Please note we are constantly updating this site and would welcome any suggestions.

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