New technologies have become integral to the lives of children and young people in today’s society. The internet and other digital and information technologies are powerful tools, which open up new opportunities for everyone. Electronic communication helps teachers and students learn from each other. These technologies can stimulate discussion, promote creativity and increase awareness of context to promote effective learning. Children and young people should have an entitlement to safe internet access at all times. The use of these exciting and innovative tools in school and at home has been shown to raise educational standards and promote pupil / student achievement. However, the use of these new technologies can put young people at risk within and outside the school. Some of the dangers they may face include:

• Access to illegal, harmful or inappropriate images or other content
• Unauthorised access to / loss of / sharing of personal information
• The risk of being subject to grooming by those with whom they make contact on the internet
• The sharing / distribution of personal images without an individual’s consent or knowledge
• Inappropriate communication / contact with others, including strangers
• Cyber-bullying
• Access to unsuitable video / internet games
• An inability to evaluate the quality, accuracy and relevance of information on the internet
• Plagiarism and copyright infringement
• Illegal downloading of music or video files
• The potential for excessive use which may impact on the social and emotional development, and
• Learning of the young person.
  

Below are some links where you can find the latest esafety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online:

Parental Controls & Internet Filtering

Did you know that you can set up filters to help block access to inappropriate content / websites on any device that connects to your home WiFi? If your Internet Service is with any of the providers shown below then click on your provider to find out more about how you can enable internet filters within your home. If your internet connection is provided by another company then they should also offer an option for enabling parental control filter settings - visit your internet service provider’s website or phone them to find out how you can enable parental controls in your home:

More information about Parental Controls and how to protect children from viewing inappropriate content can be found by following this link.

Gaming Consoles & Platforms

If your child is a keen gamer and uses a range of consoles or devices to play the latest games, take a look at Internet Matters website which has a list of consoles, platforms and gaming apps parental control how-to guides to get up to speed on how to set the right level of protection to give them a fun and safe experience.

Vodafone’s Digital Parenting Magazine

Vodafone’s Digital Parenting magazine contains lots of useful guides on ensuring the devices your child or young person accesses are appropriately set up, including everything from Parental Controls on a desktop computer or tablet to setting up Safesearch on Google and YouTube. You can navigate to their website by clicking here for their most up-to-date support.