Are you aware that Safer Internet Day will take place on Tuesday 7th February 2017? There is still plenty of time to plan what you can do to raise awareness of online safety in your setting in a fun and accessible way.
Safer Internet Day usually sees hundreds of organisations across the country get involved to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. In the UK, the Safer Internet Centre – a partnership of three leading charities; Childnet, the South West Grid for Learning and the Internet Watch Foundation – are coordinating the event and providing resources for getting involved. Globally, Safer Internet Day is celebrated in over a hundred countries.
The theme this year is ‘Be the change: unite for a better internet’ and will focus on the power of image in digital youth culture. Schools, youth groups, support services and other settings all over the country will be engaging in awareness raising activities including:
- Lessons
- Assemblies
- Plays
- Events
- Displays
- Whole school activities
- Youth photo campaign
- Social media campaign
- Thunderclap (online flashmob)
- Parent training
For tons of information and inspiration on what schools and other settings can do for the day, check out this site: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2017
Last year I was excited to start delivery of eSafety Information Evenings for parents in local schools in partnership with Delegated Services. While the internet and new technologies offer enormous educational opportunities to children, the associated safeguarding risks can seem overwhelming for professionals and parents. These risks include:
Grooming, pornography, revenge porn, sexting, cyberbullying, radicalisation, child sexual exploitation, trolling, hacking, hate crime, stalking, access to drugs, self-harm, pro-ana, loss of reputation and gaming addiction.
The training aims to help parents understand these risks more fully, and to help protect children from online risks by learning about available safety tools and by practicing conversations with children about staying safe online.