ClasschartsBitesizeGoogle ClassroomStudent RewardsWork for Absent StudentsSharePoint
Student
SharePoint Login
Staff
Newton Abbot College Logo

Online safety advice

Being online is an integral part of children and young people’s lives. Social media, online games, websites and apps can be accessed through mobile phones, computers, laptops and tablets – all of which form a part of children and young people’s online world.

The internet and online technology provides new opportunities for young people’s learning and growth, but it can also expose them to new types of risks.

What are some of the risks to online safety for children?

There are a range of potential harms that come with using the internet. Categories include:

  • Content – being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful content. For example: pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation, and extremism.
  • Contact  – being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users. For example: peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising, and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them.
  • Conduct – online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm. For example, making, sending and receiving explicit images, sharing other explicit images and bullying.
  • Commerce – risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and financial scams.

As a college we not only seek to ensure our own online systems and procedures keep students safe, our teachers have ongoing conversations with children about the benefits and dangers of the internet and create an open environment for children and young people to ask questions and raise any concerns either in person or via our ‘confide’ button that is available on our computers in college.

Teaching online safety is not restricted to IT and computing lessons. Embedding key messages about staying safe online throughout the curriculum helps ensure that children of all ages are taught online safety skills.

Advice

Starting the conversation

Talking regularly with your child is the greatest tool to help keep them safe online. Talking regularly and making it part of daily conversation, like you would about their day at college, will help your child feel relaxed. It also means when they do have any worries, they’re more likely to come and speak to you.

How can going online affect our wellbeing?

There are lots of positives for children being online, however there can be negatives too. For some it can become overwhelming trying to keep up with friends, and the pressure can mount.

Many things can impact our online wellbeing, and you can take control of the choices made to reduce any negativity. Being aware of the impact of being online, just like you would be aware of the impact of offline activities, is the first step to managing your children’s online wellbeing.

We can:

  • manage the content that our children see,
  • ensure interactions are suitable
  • and manage how long they’re online, in balance with other activities.

There are several things you can do to help support a child with their wellbeing online, including specific apps, and looking at settings.

What are parental controls?

Parental controls allow you to block and filter upsetting or inappropriate content. They work across your WiFi, phone network, individual apps and devices.  Parental controls can help you to:

  • plan what time of day your child can go online and how long for
  • create content filters to block apps that may have inappropriate content
  • manage the content different family members can see.

Useful resources

Are there any useful resources to help me talk to my child about safety online?

The following links provide guidance for parents and carers on how to talk to your children about a range of online safety issues. They also show how to set-up child-friendly home filtering and parental controls.