Being online is an integral part of children's lives, especially since the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which has led to an increased use of digital technology. The internet and use of online technology provides new opportunities for our children's learning and growth. We love seeing the children's skills and incredible understanding of the online world but we know it can expose them to new and different types of risks.

Online-safety forms a fundamental part of our school and at Cila we ensure all pupils understand the importance of being safe online and the signs to look out for if they think something in't quite right.  Cila believes that every child should have an entitlement to safe internet access at all times so that we can "Achieve, Build and Celebrate" our learning journey.

Here you will find some useful tips and websites to keep children safe online.

Tips on keeping your children safe online

• Monitor who your child is communicating with online - help your children to understand that they should never give out personal details to anyone online that they do not know offline. 
• Monitor the content and material accessed or downloaded -  it's not a good idea for your child to open files that are from people they don't know. They won't know what they contain - it could be a virus, or worse - an inappropriate image or film.
• Ensure your child does not give out personal information - explain to your children what information about them is personal: i.e. email address, mobile number, school name, sports club, arrangements for meeting up with friends and any pictures or videos of themselves, their family or friends. Small pieces of information can easily be pieced together to form a comprehensive insight in to their lives and daily activities.
• Check content is appropriate - make your children aware that they need to think carefully about the information and pictures they post on their profiles. Inform them that once published online, anyone can change or share these images of them.
• Manage and check privacy settings - remind your child that the internet is not a private space so don't post anything they wouldn't want their parents/carers to see. 
• Set boundaries and parental controls - know what your child is doing online by setting up parental controls and try to limit screen time.
• Discuss online activity together - Help your child to understand that some people lie online and aren't who they say they are. Remind them to never meet up with anyone they meet online, even if they sound friendly. Inform your child  that they may receive spam or junk email and texts - never believe their contents, reply to them or use them.
• Know where to find help - always keep communication open for a child to know that it's never too late to tell someone if something makes them feel uncomfortable and report it as soon as possible. 

How to report online concerns: 

Please click on the image above for the 'CEOP - Child Exploitation and Online Protection' national crime agency command. This website has incredible information for parents/carers to help protect children from online abuse and training for young people in digital resilience to stay safe online.  

Social Media is one of the most popular aspects of the internet and with the amount of apps available for download; keeping children safe online has never been more important. It may shock you to actually be aware of some of the age restrictions for the above apps so we ask you to be mindful and monitor what your children are accessing with these particular apps. 

Other E-Safety Useful Websites: