E-Safety information – Setting Boundaries around Gaming

14th September 2023L Forster

Almost half (46%) of 8- to 11-year-olds in the UK play online video games with people that they don’t necessarily know 👤🎮 While 55% of parents of young gamers worry that their child might be pressured into making expensive in-game purchases 💸

 

Most children find gaming immensely enjoyable, but its volume of potential risks – and capacity to influence behaviour – often make it problematic for parents.

Behind video-sharing platforms (like YouTube) and streaming TV shows and movies, gaming is the third most popular online activity for children in the UK. In fact, according to recent data from Ofcom, an overwhelming 89% of children aged 3 to 17 play video games. Of those, more than one in five (22%) talk to other players online who they don’t know outside the game.

The risk of contact from strangers is just one of the reasons that many parents are concerned about their child’s gaming: increased screen time, inappropriate content and in-game spending also figure among the most frequent fears. Agreeing on some rules around your child’s gaming activities can certainly help, and our guide has some useful tips for establishing these boundaries.

https://nationalcollege.com/

E-Safety information for parents – Facebook Messenger

9th August 2023L Forster

Millennials are Messenger’s largest audience group, with the 25–34 age bracket comprising around a third (32%) of the app’s user-base. That’s not to say it’s unpopular with youngsters, however. Back in 2017, Facebook tried to launch a version for under-12s – Messenger Kids – but it was met with negative feedback: particularly in the UK, where it remains unavailable.

Users as young as 13 (and in all probability, many who are even younger) having access to an app which lets them chat privately with each other, exchange photos and potentially be contacted by older people who they don’t know brings its own obvious issues.

Facebook Messenger is a communication app through which users can exchange messages and send photos, stickers, and video and audio files. Messenger allows both one-to-one and group chats, has a ‘stories’ feature and – via its latest addition, Rooms – can host a video call with up to 50 people. As of 2021, the app had 35 million users in the UK alone (more than half the population!) among its 1.3 billion users worldwide. Whereas Messenger is integrated into Facebook on desktops and laptops, it has existed as a standalone app for mobile devices since 2011.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as addiction, strangers and secret conversations.

https://nationalcollege.com/

E-Safety information for parents – Group Chats

2nd August 2023L Forster

Currently, group chatting is most popular among Millennials. Data from the USA, for example, reports that – whether they’re using WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger or any other platform – almost half (44%) of that 18–34 age bracket take part in at least one collective online conversation every day.

 

This is relevant because, of course, the schoolchildren of today are the 18–34s of tomorrow. Just like the current crop, online group communication will facilitate their blossoming social lives and expanding friendship networks.

Occurring through messaging apps, on social media and in online games, group chats are among the most popular ways that young people engage with their peers online. Involving, by definition, three or more individuals, these groups allow users to send messages, images and videos to everyone in one place. While they are useful for helping friends, people with shared interests or members of a club to communicate and coordinate activities, they can also leave young people feeling excluded and bullied – as well as providing opportunities for inappropriate content to be shared and viewed.

https://nationalcollege.com/

E-Safety information for parents – Loneliness Online

26th July 2023L Forster

Does a child you know ever feel lonely when they’re online? In a study by the UK’s Office for National Statistics, 14% of 10–12-year-olds said that they DID often feel lonely – so any child experiencing those feelings is, sadly, far from unusual. To support Mental Health Awareness Week – which this year has the theme of ‘loneliness’ – we spoke to a group of children and teenagers, who told us some of the things that make them feel isolated when they’re online. They also suggested some ways they use technology to make themselves feel better when that happens, and we’ve compiled their ideas into a loneliness-busting #WakeUpWednesday guide.

In the guide, you’ll find tips such as taking breaks, playing single-player games and listening to your favourite audiobooks.

Research by the Mental Health Foundation found that loneliness has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, with more people experiencing it to an even more severe degree. This increased loneliness has contributed to higher levels of distress, resulting from people’s heightened feelings of isolation and diminished ability to connect with others.

 

The online world can help us feel more connected to people – but it can also leave us feeling even more cut off. For this week’s special #WakeUpWednesday guide, we canvassed the opinions of a group of young people, who told us what makes them feel lonely online … and how they use their digital devices to lift their spirits

https://nationalcollege.com/

E-Safety information for parents – Cross-Platform Sharing of Inappropriate Content

19th July 2023L Forster

In 2017, having been alerted to large quantities of videos which – at first glance – were geared to pre-schoolers but in fact featured disturbing images, YouTube pledged to purge itself of “content that attempts to pass as family friendly, but clearly is not.” Almost as quickly as platforms like YouTube can remove these videos, however, others are being uploaded in their place.

 

Many of these clips evade automated filters by using child-friendly search tags. Others are deliberately designed to resemble normal episodes of, say, Peppa Pig, but include violent or sexual content. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week examines the potential dangers when inappropriate content begins to be shared across different platforms.

Creepy characters like Slender Man or Huggy Wuggy. Dangerous online challenges. Songs or videos that aren’t suitable for youngsters. When things like these begin trending online, it can be difficult to prevent children accidently stumbling across them – especially if they use a range of platforms, like online games, social media, streaming sites or messaging apps. A trend can originate in one online space and rapidly spread to other platforms or via chat apps. The frightening Huggy Wuggy character, for instance, first emerged as part of a game on Steam; now there are parody songs on TikTok, videos on YouTube and more than 45,000 results for #huggywuggy on Instagram.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as accidental exposure, inappropriate language and unsuitable videos.

https://nationalcollege.com/

Emma Lewell-Buck’s visit to Harton Primary

14th July 2023R Errington

Year 4 were very excited to take part in an assembly with MP for South Shields, Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck. Mrs Lewell-Buck told us about her job as a member of parliament and explained why she loves representing South Shields. The children asked some fantastic questions about her work and offered suggestions about ways to improve South Shields, including having more recycle bins around the town.

Technology Tom’s visit to year 4

14th July 2023R Errington

During Design and Technology, we have been investigating methods used to transport water. In Ancient Egypt (and in some places today) shadufs were used to transport water from rivers to fields in order to water crops. Technology Tom helped us to make water wheels, which we were able to test out. We were great problem solvers too!

Trip to Marsden Beach

14th July 2023R Errington

In our geography topic, Comparing Whitby and South Shields, we’ve been thinking about features found at the coast. We’ve also been discussing if they are physical or human features. We visited Marsden Beach and had a great time with Sandra and Laura from Tides of Change, who told us all about the features found there. We also discussed the impact of littering on coastal habitats. We’ve been learning a lot about the human impact on habitats in our science lessons.

E-Safety information for Parents – Amino

12th July 2023L Forster

Expressing ourselves and interacting online can be fun – but only if it’s safe for everyone 💬👍 The social networking platform Amino offers opportunities to exchange views on countless hobbies and interests … but its lack of age verification represents an obvious risk for younger users ⚠️

 

With inappropriate content, the possibility of messages from strangers and rewards for repeated daily usage front and centre among the potential dangers that parents and carers should know about, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide gives Amino the acid test.

 

A sprawling online discussion forum with incentives for checking in each day and the facility to follow certain users, Amino bears comparison to Reddit – but with an added sprinkle of Snapchat and a Twitter twist. It may not be radically original, but’s proving popular: there are now more than a million communities of fans exchanging views on topics from anime to zombies.

The concept is to recreate the passion and excitement of live conventions in the online world: from behind their screens and keyboards, however, not everyone behaves as well as they might in person. From hurtful comments to age-inappropriate images and predatory messaging, our #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights some potential hazards to protect young users from.

https://nationalcollege.com/

E-Safety information for parents – Rumble

6th July 2023L Forster

Big names, challenging opinions and comparatively lenient censorship 📢 Rumble is a video-sharing platform which has achieved stellar growth in recent years – as well as drawing a similarly eye-catching amount of criticism for the views of some of its best-known account holders 🤬

As our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week explains, young users of the app (even ones who are over the recommended age limit) may encounter hazards including political bias, potentially harmful misinformation and inappropriate content if they stumble across Rumble.

Conceived as giving independent content creators equal representation in the online space, Rumble has found something of a niche in restoring a voice to influencers who have been blocked from similar platforms. It’s become particularly renowned as a forum for political debate, with some prominent account holders’ choice of subject matter attracting a degree of notoriety.

Indeed, a study by the USA’s Pew Research Centre found that the platform’s most popular topics included gun laws, the January 2021 Capitol riots and Covid vaccines. Many parents and carers may feel that these sensitive topics – when addressed in a less-than-sensitive manner – aren’t suitable for young users. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide attempts to get a feel for Rumble.

https://nationalcollege.com