Dear Parent/Carer,
Keeping Your Child Safe on the Internet
As we are sure you are aware, children are very computer literate. They find it very easy to use the latest technologies whether it is the latest mobile phone or the Internet. The modern communications revolution has made it easier to stay in contact with friends and family from all over the world at any time of the day or night.
We manage safe use of technologies that are used in school; all children are routinely asked to sign an acceptable use policy for the use of the Internet in school hours as part of our whole school Internet policy.
However children now use a huge range of devices outside school hours. Technologies include home PC's, lap-top computers and hand-held computers, mobile phones and even blackberries (if not in your home, it could be at a friends home); all have the possibility of accessing the web from almost any part of the United Kingdom even if the nearest plug or telephone socket is miles away.
Specific technologies that are becoming more commonly used for communication by children outside of schools hours include email, MSN messaging (instant messaging), chat rooms, mobile-camera phones, websites/blogs managed by children and social networking sites (such as “MySpace” or “Bebo”). The majority of use of these devices is safe and has the potential to greatly enrich the lives of children. However, you need to be aware that a child’s safety maybe compromised when people, nearly always strangers, of malicious intent use the Internet to make contact with a child.
If you require further guidance on the technologies discussed and how you can support your child in using them safely we encourage you to visit the link below where you will find easy-to-follow help. www.broadbandsecurity.bt.com/img/teacherparentguide.pdf
To keep your child safe the following basic rules will help.
- Have the computer in an ‘open’ area
- Know what your child is doing online
- Web cams should be used carefully
- Talk to your child about the dangers of communicating with strangers online
- If your child receives unsuitable messages, save the messages, print them off if possible and let the school know