Over recent years there has been an explosion in popularity of certain apps and games. Make sure you know the risks involved and how to change privacy settings to private.
Online gaming can teach young people skills such as teamwork and problem-solving, but of course there can be a darker side the gaming and it opens up more opportunities for young people to be in contact with someone they don’t know and to potentially be groomed and exploited. Perpetrators are increasingly targeting children and young people via online gaming sites, pretending to be someone who they are not. This can often lead to bullying, grooming and sexual exploitation.
The Breck Foundation is a self-funding charity, raising awareness of playing safe whilst using the internet.
Servers and chat forums - Did You Know...the security settings of chat forums outside of the game are often not as good as those built into the game? Discord is a chat forum used by a lot of gamers and it’s important to be aware that strangers can contact your child especially on public or large servers and send inappropriate, mean or sexual content.
Online gaming chat - Violence and Vulnerability Unit
James Pearson, Violence and Vulnerability Unit discusses why parents need to be aware that their child’s chat can filter out of the game and onto other platforms and what they need to be discussing with their children to keep their online gaming an enjoyable experience.
Band Runner - CEOP’s Thinkuknow has launched Band Runner, an interactive game for 8-10 year olds to help build their knowledge, confidence and skills to stay safe from risks they might encounter online. The game is hosted on the area for 8-10 year-olds on the Thinkuknow website.
Social Media - Social Media is defined as 'a website or app that enables users to communicate and engage with others online' (definition by UK Safer Internet). Everyone needs to be aware of both the dangers and the benefits of using social media and the impact that negative use of social media can have on a person's mental wellbeing. There can be benefits but young people should also be made aware of the dangers and the impact that negative use of social media can have on a person's mental wellbeing.
The following websites have lots of useful information.
Social Media Influencers - The Training Effect have recently recorded both a webinar and a podcast discussing social media influencers and how young males can be so easily influenced by misogyny.
Andrew Tate factsheet for staff - this factsheet provides information about Andrew Tate for those working with children, in order for them to be better placed to respond if he, or views shared by him, are raised in conversation by pupils.
Livestreaming is becoming a very popular way for young people to broadcast themselves on many different apps, to communicate with their friends or wider community, just as their favourite celebrities and Vloggers do. But remember:
Find out more about livestreaming and staying safe (Childnet).