We believe all parents, carers, teachers and trusted adults should be empowered with the all the information needed to have informed and age-appropriate conversations about online safety with children. That’s why, every Wednesday, we produce practical, easy to follow guides which focus on specific risks we think you need to be aware of.
Online Fair Play: the Dos and Don’ts of Online Conduct
Whatever the outcome of England’s semi-final versus Denmark tonight, Gareth Southgate’s team have given English football fans much cause for optimism this summer. Aside from their obvious footballing talents, the humility, diversity and social awareness among this group of young men has been a source of pride and admiration.
Supportive, positive and dignified, their conduct on and off the field has set a superb example for young people to aspire to in their own lives – including, of course, their behaviour online. Our final football-themed #WakeUpWednesday guide of the tournament has essential tips for children to help them be their best selves when they’re on the internet.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About TikTok
TikTok ‘blew up’ (to borrow its own terminology) in 2018 and quickly became one of the world’s most downloaded apps. There are now around 800 million TikTok users worldwide, almost half of them (41%) in the 16–24 age bracket. TikTok itself advises a minimum age of 13 to access the platform, but some children as young as 10 are known to use it.
With such a young user-base, TikTok has faced problems with internet predators attempting to contact children on the platform. As this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights, however, that is far from the only concern – with inappropriate videos, songs featuring explicit lyrics and in-app purchases all on the list of potential risks.
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Let’s Tackle Online Hate Together
Tackling online hate requires a combined effort, not just from individuals and communities, but from nations. It’s an issue that transcends boundaries and requires the support of everyone, regardless of who they are, where they live or what they do.
The delayed European Championships (Euro 2020) are a reminder of just how much football can bring people together, bringing joy to millions of people and an opportunity to support children towards developing healthy, positive habits online, fighting back against online hate – whatever language you speak.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About FIFA 21
The European Football Championships gets underway on Friday, and children around the continent will be reaching for FIFA 21 to virtually recreate the sort of shots, passes and saves they’ve watched their real-life heroes pull off on TV. In the popularity league table, FIFA is the Real Madrid of football games – some seasons are better than others, but it’s never away from the summit for long.
Unlike many ‘must-have’ games, FIFA doesn’t include inappropriate content or violence (apart from the odd reckless sliding tackle) but it doesn’t quite keep a clean sheet in the online safety stakes. Parents should be mindful of risks such as in-game purchases, over-competitiveness and the possibility of becoming addicted. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has all the information you need to keep children safe when they play FIFA 21.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Parental Controls to Protect Privacy
This app is requesting permission to access the camera roll. Your experience of this app will be improved if you turn on location services. ‘App X’ wants to sync with your calendar. How many times do we see pop-up messages like this on our phone – and just click ‘accept’ without really thinking it over?
In most cases, there’s nothing to worry about. But if you do have concerns about how much information your phone might be giving away, you can use parental controls to pick and choose what your child’s phone can share. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guides walk you through how to protect privacy on iPhones and Androids.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About TextMe
On the surface, TextMe sounds like it’s just another instant messaging service that provides free calls and text messages. The app is free to download and provides users with their own dedicated number which they can use to communicate with people all over the world. However, one feature that might make TextMe so appealing is the ability to remain anonymous; opening up the possibility to contact others without giving your real identity away. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what TextMe is all about.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Scam Emails
Recent figures suggest that as many as 30% of users in the education sector have fallen victim to phishing emails. Attacks have increased since the start of the pandemic, and educational organisations are being disproportionately targeted by online fraudsters because cyber-security – understandably – tends not to be among their top priorities.
But there are some straightforward steps anyone can take to reduce their chances of being hoodwinked by a bogus email. So whether it’s to help safeguard your school’s network or simply to protect your family’s personal accounts at home, our #WakeUpWednesday guide has advice on how to identify and deal with potentially damaging email scams.
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12 Top Tips to Supporting Mental Wellbeing Through Nature Online and Offline
Many people have found the Covid-19 pandemic to be a severe test of their mental health. Lots of us responded to that challenge by turning to nature. Going for walks was a popular coping mechanism in lockdown, with research by the Mental Health Foundation revealing that 45% of people felt that visiting green spaces had been vital for their mental wellbeing.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, this edition of our #WakeUpWednesday guide brings you some top tips for incorporating nature and digital tech into your daily routine – helping you to lift your mood and reduce your stress levels. We’ve compiled some simple suggestions that you could either follow by yourself or with the whole family!
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know about the Ofcom ‘Children and Parents:
Media Use and Attitudes’ Report 2020/21
It will likely come as no great surprise to you that parents found it more difficult to control children’s screen time during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that young people spent more time watching online content in 2020 than the previous year. But would you also have guessed that one in five children now post or share content via live streaming platforms – or that online gaming is growing in popularity among young girls?
These are just some of the findings in Ofcom’s ‘Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes’ report, released last week. For today’s #WakeUpWednesday offering, we’ve combed through its 52 statistic-packed pages to condense the most essential and relevant information into one of our signature guides.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Roblox
Originally released in 2006, Roblox has evolved into one of the most popular platforms for young gamers. It’s certainly among the most commercially successful: more than £200 million was spent on subscriptions and in-game purchases during the last quarter of 2020 alone. But these aren’t the only areas to have caused concerns.
How are some sections of Roblox unsuitable for young players? What are Robux and how do they work? Who are ODers and why should children be wary of them? And why should you think about disabling the in-game messaging function? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide to Roblox has all the answers.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Parental Controls
Streaming songs with explicit lyrics. Watching videos featuring adult themes or bad language. Downloading apps or games that they’re not quite old enough for yet. When a child uses a smartphone – either their own or a parent’s – there are all kinds of harmful content they could unlock, either through natural inquisitiveness or by sheer accident.
The parental controls you’ll find on most smartphones are an excellent way of minimising this possibility. They don’t completely remove the element of risk – but they do significantly reduce it. Our #WakeUpWednesday guides this week walk you through the process of setting up these potentially invaluable filters on iPhone and Android smartphones.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Snapchat
Launched in 2011, Snapchat became one of that decade’s defining social apps. The game-changer was the 2015 introduction of filters – enabling users to superimpose objects or effects (such as dog faces, wild hairstyles or bunny ears) onto their selfies. Many filters, meanwhile, have a ‘beautifying’ effect: adding make-up or freckles, giving the appearance of smoother skin or enlarging the eyes to make the subject look (in conventional terms) ‘more attractive’.
The proportion of teenage girls within the app’s user-base makes this problematic for many. Is it healthy for young women to feel that their looks need ‘improving’? How much can unflattering comparisons with other users harm self-confidence? And who gets to decide what ‘beautiful’ looks like, anyway? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide goes more than skin deep with Snapchat.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Rec Room
Rec Room is another one of those games which surged in popularity during the pandemic. It’s user base trebled in 2020, as players realised that the platform’s ‘open-world’ nature and interactivity were a way of replicating social contact. In-game events reflected that, with rooms set up to happy hours, birthday parties, maths tutorials and even therapy sessions.
But what else can players do in Rec Room? Is everyone in the game who they claim to be? How frightening might it be for younger children? And how can you help young people to stay safe in the various rooms? This week’s free #WakeUpWednesday guide puts on its virtual reality headset and enters the immersive world of Rec Room.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Smartphone Emergency SOS Functions
You might not know it – even if you have one – but most new smartphones include an array of emergency functions that could prove invaluable to you in a crisis. From sending notifications to specified contacts to connecting you rapidly with the emergency services, it’s no exaggeration to say that your phone could potentially save your life – or help you save someone else’s – in a matter of seconds.
This week, our free #WakeUpWednesday guides outline how to use the SOS functionality on three of the most popular types of phone: iPhones, Samsung and Google. Find out how to make an emergency call with just five clicks of a button, how to notify first responders of essential medical information and how to automatically inform friends and family of your location.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About WhatsApp
WhatsApp began a new era of instant messaging when it launched in 2009, and it cost Facebook $19 billion to buy out five years later. But recent tweaks to WhatsApp’s privacy policy might have jeopardised that investment, with millions reported to be abandoning the app in recent months.
So exactly what safety concerns do people have? Were they right to be worried? And have other updates to the app made it more secure for young people … or less? This week’s free #WakeUpWednesday guide runs the rule over WhatsApp.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Signal
The multimedia messaging app Signal has been dubbed “an overnight success, years in the making”. The result of a merger between two older apps (TextSecure and RedPhone), Signal has been available since 2015, but didn’t gain notable popularity until the latter half of 2020 – since when it’s been downloaded by an additional 20 million users globally.
So why the belated, sudden surge? What does Signal offer that most of the plethora of other messaging apps can’t? And is it really as secure as people think? Our free #WakeUpWednesday guide this week puts Signal under the spotlight.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Clubhouse
Between May 2020 and January 2021, the value of audio chat discussion app Clubhouse soared from $100 million to $1 billion. Only available on Apple devices (for now), it’s currently ranked #7 in the App Store’s social networking chart: not too shabby for an app that users can only join by invitation.
And what a roll call of attendees so far – with A-listers like Kanye West, Drake and Oprah Winfrey among the early adopters, the app is packing some serious cultural cachet. But are there risks among the razzamatazz? This #WakeUpWednesday, our guide slips on its tuxedo, adjusts its bowtie and brings you the details from inside the elite gatherings of Clubhouse.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Avakin Life
A 3D ‘lifestyle simulator’ for mobiles, Avakin Life has a notable percentage of young teens among its 1.4 million daily users. But is the content really suitable for such an impressionable audience? With revealing outfits, suggestive dance moves and private chats with older users, it’s not difficult to see why at least one regional UK police force has already issued a safeguarding alert about the game.
This #WakeUpWednesday, our free guide takes a look inside the glitzy party life of the Avakins. How safe are young people in this virtual world? What topics are being discussed in the ‘social spots’? And how does the game introduce the concept of gambling?
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10 Top Tips for Keeping Children Safe From Cyber Crime
To support this week’s Safer Internet Day, we’ve teamed up with the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Cyber Crime Unit to help you get wise to some common online offences. Do you know how to spot a phishing email? Can you trust public WiFi? And what you should you do if a young person becomes interested in hacking? Find out with our special #WakeUpWednesday guide.
You can take a big step to reinforcing your online safety by downloading our app from Google Play or the App Store, and put a wealth of resources at your fingertips. If your school becomes one of our members, you can also work towards Safe Remote Education Accreditation with us – a hallmark of best practice in this era of online learning.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Supporting Children to Express Themselves Safely Online
It’s Children’s Mental Health Week – and with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic still very much being felt around the world, the event has come at an especially relevant time. So which online activities can help to boost young people’s self-esteem? And how can make sure they’re doing it safely? Find out with our free #WakeUpWednesday guide.
On a similar theme, don’t forget that next Tuesday, 9 February, is Safer Internet Day. Take a big step to reinforcing your online safety by downloading our app from Google Play or the App Store, and put a wealth of resources at your fingertips. If your school becomes one of our members, you can also work towards Safe Remote Education Accreditation with us – a hallmark of best practice in this era of online learning.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About WeChat
It’s got almost a billion users and it’s among the five most popular social media platforms on the planet. In fact, WeChat is probably the biggest app that you’ve never heard about. Not only is it comparatively unknown outside China, but some nations’ governments have taken steps to ban WeChat outright in their territories – claiming it’s a risk to their national security.
Why are other countries so frightened of WeChat? Do young people really use it to arrange hook-ups and deal drugs? Or is something even more sinister happening? Get the story on WeChat this #WakeUpWednesday with our free guide.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About eBay
Already well established as one of the giants of the online shopping arena, eBay has prospered even further during the pandemic. Locked-down buyers have luxuriated in having more time to root out bargains, while sellers aim to recoup cash for unwanted items they’ve unearthed while decluttering. Since 1995, eBay has offered mutually beneficial solutions for purchasers and vendors alike.
But because eBay’s so familiar, does that mean it’s without risk? What are the possible issues and scams to look out for? And can you trust all the listings on the site? This #WakeUpWednesday, make sure our free guide to eBay goes into your basket.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About
Fake News
We’ve all seen an extreme recent example of the possible consequences when fake news is allowed to go unchecked. Whether for political purposes or just for devilment, the phenomenon is continuing to spread into all corners of the internet.
But what forms can fake news take? What is it being used for? How can we spot it? And what can we do about it? As part of our ‘Online Information’ series, this #WakeUpWednesday we’re bringing you our completely genuine guide to fake news.
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Free Online Safety Guide
12 Online Safety Tips for Children with New Devices
With Christmas only days away, it won’t be long before lucky children across the land are gleefully opening the new devices that Santa’s delivered. Chances are they’ll want to dive straight in and see what their new present can do. But with any device that connects children with the digital world, adults should invest some time putting safeguards in place so their young ones can learn and play in safety. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide is our rundown of online safety tips for ensuring those new devices only bring the joy they were intended to.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
As the latest addition to a blockbuster series with a die-hard fan-base, it’s no surprise that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War shot to the top of the UK games chart last week. It’s another fast and frenetic first-person shooter, where players use an arsenal of lethal weaponry to kill enemies, capture objectives and complete missions. The on-screen characters’ profanity and the extreme violence certainly justify its PEGI 18 rating. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has the lowdown on all this, plus Black Ops Cold War’s other potential risks including online play, in-game chat and loot box purchases.
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What Parents and Carers Need to Know About
PlayStation 5
Last week marked the release of the brand-new PlayStation 5 (PS5) just in time for Christmas. Described as a ‘next-generation’ console by Sony, the PS5 comes in two different versions, each of which will be at the top of many children’s Christmas list. It’s important therefore to ensure safe set up right from the start. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what the PS5 is all about.
In celebration of our app launch and to help get you started, we’re also providing you with a fantastic guide which highlights 10 ways for you to get the most out the app.
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Anti-Bullying Week 2020:
Little Reminders of How We Can All Be Kind Online
Monday marked the start of Anti-Bullying Week 2020. The theme for this year is ‘United Against Bullying’ with a focus on the positive power that society can have when we come together to tackle a common challenge. In support of this positivity, this WakeUpWednesday we’re celebrating how children and adults can bring positivity to the online world by simply being kind. Online bullying remains a common problem but showing empathy and compassion goes a long way to countering these negative interactions. That’s why we’re re-releasing our two guides on how trusted adults, parents and children can show kindness online.
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What Parents Need to Know About Xbox Series X|S
Yesterday marked the release of two brand new Xbox consoles just in time for Christmas; the Xbox Series S, described as providing next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever, and the Xbox Series X, the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever. Both devices will be at the top of many children’s Christmas list, so it’s important to ensure parents set them up safely right from the start. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what the Xbox Series X|S is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Remote Education
With the UK moving into a second period of lockdown, the DfE expect schools to have strong contingency plans in place for remote education provision should individuals or groups of pupils need to self-isolate. However, remote education isn’t always straightforward, and several factors should be considered to ensure safe and secure delivery. That’s why we’ve created these guides to help educators, parents and carers and children get the most out of their remote education experience.
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What Parents Need to Know About Among Us
Among Us is one of the most popular online games in the world right now. It’s October 2020’s most downloaded game for iPhones and iPads, according to Associated Press. In this multiplayer sci-fi challenge of teamwork and betrayal, players must complete tasks while trying to work out which of them is secretly an alien imposter. It’s largely child friendly, but with increasing numbers of players using the built-in chat and making in-app purchases, our handy guide gives parents and carers the inside track on Among Us.
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What Parents Need to Know About League of Legends
League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the world. It’s a highly-competitive online battle arena esports game which is available on Android, macOS and Windows. Apple recently announced during its iPhone 12 launch event that it will soon be coming to iOS too, in the form of League of Legends: Wild Rift. Players play in teams and can end up playing alongside people they don’t know. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what League of Legends is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Tellonym
Tellonym is a popular messaging app that gives users the ability to ask questions and receive answers anonymously. The app is free to download and was initially launched to help alleviate anxiety, deepen relationships and encourage social connections. However, concerns have been raised in the past due to the app facilitating online bullying behaviour. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Tellonym is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Persuasive Design
School closures meant children spent more time online. Whilst this was almost inevitable, social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, are likely to have exacerbated the problem through the use of clever persuasive design techniques which make it difficult for children to disengage and can keep them scrolling through their news feeds for hours. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what persuasive design is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa is one of the most widely known voice assistants in the world. It’s used predominantly in smart speakers at home and works using artificial intelligence (AI) software to answer voice commands and deliver online information to users. Alexa, and voice assistants like it, are changing the way that we all interact with technology, including children. That’s why we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Amazon Alexa is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Overwatch
Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter game, available to play on most platforms including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and PC. The game sees players face off in six-versus-six matches. It is an online-only game which means that players can’t play without other human players and could end up playing alongside people they don’t know. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Overwatch is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Online Content: 10 Tips to Keep Your Children Safe Online
Last week’s distressing videos circulating on social media served as a reminder that it’s crucial to monitor children’s activities online, particularly if they’re watching user-generated content. Whilst measures can be taken to try and protect children as much as possible, there is always a chance that they might view something age-inappropriate or upsetting. That’s why we’ve created this useful guide providing some helpful tips on keeping children safe online.
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What Parents Need to Know About Trolling & Online Abuse
Trolling can take place on any platform. Whilst many celebrities and influencers tend to be high profile targets on social media, online trolls can direct their aggression at anyone online. They often send abusive or malicious messages, goading others to react and leaving a lasting impact, similar to bullying. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help trusted adults understand exactly what trolling and online abuse is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Triller
Triller is the latest video sharing app on the market which is quickly increasing in popularity. A similar concept to TikTok, the platform boasts some of the music industry’s biggest stars as users, including Justin Bieber, Rita Ora and Eminem, and recently announced that it had amassed over 250 million downloads worldwide. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what video sharing apps are all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Phishing
The recent increase in phishing activity by hackers against Netflix and YouTube is the latest attempt by cybercriminals to take advantage of users spending more time online due to coronavirus. Phishing emails and URLs aim to steal sensitive information and can appear genuine and authentic so it’s important to know what to look out for and how to respond. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help trusted adults understand exactly what phishing is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Webcams
The use of webcams has become hugely popular since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Widely used on popular apps such as Zoom, Skype or Microsoft Teams, they provide users with the ability to take part in video calls and actually see who they’re speaking to. Whether used for remote learning, home working or just keeping in touch with family and friends, webcams have been crucial to helping all of us keep in touch.
This #WakeUpWednesday we’re providing you with everything you need to know about webcams. Continuing in our brand-new format, our ‘Webcams’ online safety badge forms part of our ‘Online Privacy and Security’ series and explores some of the risks associated with using webcams and how to look for any signs of compromise.
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What Parents Need to Know About Loot Boxes & Skin Betting
In July 2020, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport created a working group to collate the latest evidence relating to the effects of gambling-like mechanics in games, including loot boxes.
This #WakeUpWednesday we’re releasing the first guide in our brand-new series of online safety badges focusing on Loot Boxes & Skin Betting. This forms part of our ‘Gaming and Online Gambling’ specialist area. Each badge will support your education around a certain topic, from Social Media and Live Streaming to Online Bullying and Online Information. Our badges have been designed to give you a more complete picture of the different ways children are engaging with and consuming the online world, providing you with the essential knowledge you need to make sure children are kept safe online.
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What Parents Need to Know About Sexting
Sexting, or sending nudes, is illegal for anyone under the age of 18. Despite this, recent research suggests that young people continue to share nude images of themselves, with one in five teenagers admitting they were pressured or blackmailed into it. Separate research also indicates an increase in so-called ‘sexts’ typed out by children during lockdown. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what sexting is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Oculus Quest
The Oculus Quest is an all-in-one gaming system for virtual reality. It requires no wires and no PC. Users can get going straightaway with just a headset and controllers, allowing them to play almost anywhere at any time. Despite being relatively new, it has become hugely popular and provides an immersive experience with realistic like gaming and entertainment features. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what the Oculus Quest is all about.
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What Parents Need to Know About Protecting Personal Data
At a time when many of us are using the internet much more frequently, it’s hugely important we help our children to understand what they should and shouldn’t be sharing online. Coronavirus scams are on the rise and fraudsters will look to access personal details in order to commit identity theft, bank fraud and damage individual’s online reputation. That’s why we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what they can do to help protect their children’s personal data online.
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How Not to Be a Screen Zombie
Despite the partial reopening of schools from the beginning of the month, there’s a good chance that many children’s device usage will have increased over lockdown. With the online world more accessible than ever and the ability to watch almost anything on-demand, it can be easy for children to check their phone, swipe their tablet or fire-up their games console during large parts of the day. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help increase children’s awareness around screen addiction.
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Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams has risen in popularity since lockdown measures were introduced. Many schools have adopted the platform to help with remote learning given the ability to chat, video call and host online meetings with as many as 10,000 people. But as with any video conferencing software or live streaming app, there can be a number of things to consider around security and privacy. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what ‘Teams’ is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger has been an intricate part of Facebook for some time. It is used by billions of people all over the world and has slowly evolved over the years, now offering more than just a simple text messaging service. More recently, it has introduced ‘Messenger Rooms’ in a bid to rival other video calling software platforms, such as Zoom for instance. That why this week, we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Facebook Messenger is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
14 Ways to Be Kind Online
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is kindness. It’s been chosen because of its ability to strengthen relationships, develop a sense of community and deepen solidarity. It seems an appropriate choice given the current times. That’s why this week, in support of Mental Health Awareness Week, we wanted to help promote the message of displaying kindness online and to remind people how often, something so small can have such a big influence.
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- National Online Safety Website
What Parents Need to Know About PS4
Since arriving on the market in 1994, PlayStation has become one of the most recognised names in the gaming industry. Its current model, the PlayStation 4, is an all-in-one entertainment hub, offering much more than just the ability to game with internet access, streaming services and online chat features. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what the PlayStation 4 is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
What Parents Need to Know About Online Grooming
It would be no exaggeration to state that children’s internet usage will have soared during the coronavirus lockdown. However, with increased use unfortunately comes increased risk and many experts and leading authorities in the media are warning of the dangers around online grooming. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what online grooming is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
What Parents Need to Know About Google Stadia
It’s inevitable that with children spending more time at home, there has been a surge in online gaming. In early April, Google Stadia launched the free version of its Stadia game streaming service which means every household in the UK with a wi-fi connection could potentially access a number of games online and play them free of charge. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Google Stadia is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
What Parents Need to Know About Netflix
Netflix is arguably the most widely used and best known video-on-demand (VoD) streaming service in the world. It’s extensive library of films and TV shows can offer endless hours of entertainment and, in the current climate, it’s a great way to kill some time whilst keeping safe at home, providing both child friendly and more adult-themed programming. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Netflix is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
What Parents Need to Know About Zoom
There’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Zoom. In the space of a month, it’s become one of the most downloaded video conferencing apps in the world and has quickly gained millions of new users, including schools. But as with any video conferencing software or live streaming app, there can be a number of things to consider around security and privacy. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Zoom is all about.
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- National Online Safety Website
What Parents Need to Know About Houseparty
In the current environment, many of us are using different ways to try and keep in touch with our friends and family. One app that has risen in popularity is Houseparty, which gained the no.1 spot on the app store after becoming one of the most downloaded apps since social isolation was introduced. Billed as a ‘face to face social network’ the platform launched in 2016 but isn’t as widely known as Facebook, WhatsApp or Snapchat. That’s why we’ve created this guide for parents and carers to help them understand exactly what Houseparty is all about.
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What Parents & Carers Need to Know About Omegle
Omegle is a free online chat service which encourages users to either text or video chat with other users through their website. Individuals do not have to sign up nor register any details and the platform has very few content restrictions. Its slogan is ‘Talk to strangers!’. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Omegle is about and to raise their awareness around any potential safety concerns.
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What Parents & Carers Need to Know About Steam
Chances are you may not have heard of Steam. In very simple terms, it’s an online marketplace where individuals can buy, download, stream and play PC games. There’s an extensive library of games available but it also has a built-in chat function and means you have to provide personal information when signing up. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Steam is about and to raise their awareness around any potential safety concerns.
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What Parents & Carers Need to Know About Hidden Photo Apps
Keeping our personal and digital content safe should be a priority for everyone. Using passwords and encryption techniques can add extra layers of security. But some apps, which have been specifically designed for this purpose, can be misused or encourage more secretive behaviour, particularly in relation to videos and photos. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what these ‘hidden photo apps’ are and to raise an awareness of how and why they might be used by children and young people.
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Little Reminders of How to Be Kind Online
The online world can be an unforgiving place. We are now more connected than we have ever been which means opening ourselves and others up to potential online abuse, bullying or negative comments. Sometimes we can overlook the consequences of our actions. That’s why this week we want to promote the message of just ‘being kind online’ with a reminder towards how we can develop a more empathetic side and be a more responsible online consumer.
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From Online Gaming to Online Gambling: Recognising the Signs
Gaming disorder is now a recognised medical condition as recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). There are a number of facets associated with an online gaming addiction however one that has attracted a lot of attention is how it may encourage gambling habits in children. That’s why we’ve partnered with gambling charity, GamFam, to shed a bit more light on the links between online gaming and online gambling.
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What parents need to know about Supporting Children’s Mental Health
Opening up about mental health with children isn’t always easy. Deciding where to start or how to approach the subject may not come naturally and avoidance may creep in which can potentially make a problem worse. That’s why, in support of Children’s Mental Health Week 2020, we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers feel more confident and more comfortable when talking about children’s mental health.
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What parents need to know about Facebook
Facebook is used by billions of people all over the world. The social media platform has grown from being primarily used by university students to one of the most popular and widely used apps on the planet. It can be a fantastic way for children to keep in touch with family and friends and communicate with other like-minded people. That’s why we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Facebook is all about.
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What parents need to know about Social Pressures
Links between children’s use of social media and their mental health and wellbeing readily receives attention in the news. There are an array of features which parents and carers should be aware of which can contribute towards children experiencing ‘social pressures’ online.
In mid-2019 we released a series of four guides that provided information on social pressures linked to certain aspects of social media and online behaviour. Such was the overwhelmingly positive response to each individual one, schools asked that we spotlight this hugely important subject area again. That’s why this #WakeUpWednesday we’ve published our full ‘social pressures’ series as a collective.
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What parents need to know about Minecraft
Minecraft is still as popular today as it was when it was first released. The highly addictive block building game has developed a huge following and has millions of monthly active users playing it worldwide across PC, console and mobile platforms. Minecraft is relatively safe generally speaking, however, as per any game, it pays to be mindful about the main features that children may encounter. That’s why we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what Minecraft is all about.
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What parents need to know about TikTok
TikTok is one of the most downloaded apps in the world. The video-sharing platform can provide hours of entertainment and encourages users to make their own short ‘pop-style’ video which they can edit and share with the world. However, despite the seemingly harmless nature of the app, it is rated 12+ on the app store and users don’t always post age appropriate content. That’s why we’ve created this useful guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what TikTok is all about.
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