Author: Kat Chandler

Tuesday 7th February is Safer Internet Day: an annual event which promotes the safe, responsible and positive use of digital tech among children and young people. This year’s title is ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’ and is designed to give young voices a platform to shape the kinds of online safety support that they receive.

Simply checking in with children regularly about their experiences in the digital world, both good and bad, is a brilliant way to engage with what they’re currently into online, while also acting as a valuable early warning system about potential issues. To support Safer Internet Day, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has some top tips for initiating these helpful catch-up chats.

Read on to access your free guide…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

Most of us habitually check our doors are locked each night. We don’t leave our cars open with the keys in the ignition. We take care not to let anyone watch us enter our PIN at the cash machine. When it comes to cyber-security, however, many people aren’t anywhere near as routinely cautious – which is one of the reasons that online crime continues to pose a major threat.

The UK had the largest percentage of cyber-crime victims per million internet users in 2022; the US had the second-highest ratio. Nations with (relatively) wealthy populations who spent a lot of time online are, therefore, lucrative hunting grounds for cyber criminals. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week has useful tips to help you avoid joining the growing number of victims.

Read on to access your free guide…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

For more than a decade, Twitter has rarely strayed far from the headlines. Since its takeover by tech tycoon Elon Musk last autumn, however, the social media giant has been receiving even more news coverage; some of the subsequent changes to the platform – such as introducing ‘view counts’ and the option to ‘buy’ verified account status – have caused particular concern.

Keen to feel connected to their heroes of sport and showbiz by following their accounts, children are allowed onto Twitter from the age of 13 (while many even younger ones use it unofficially) and are often significantly influenced by what they see there. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide tells trusted adults what they need to know about the current incarnation of Twitter.

Read on to access your free guide…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

A sprawling fantasy epic of wizards and warriors, World of Warcraft has raked in an estimated $9 billion plus in revenue, mainly through monthly subscription fees and in-game purchases. It’s this lucrative seam which has helped guarantee the game’s incredible lifespan: Warcraft continues to receive developer support and expansion packs almost 20 years after its initial release.

The game’s longevity is matched by its immersive – and often addictive – nature. There are frequent reports of players eating meals at their keyboard, guzzling energy drinks to prolong marathon gaming sessions late into the night. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights this and other potential pitfalls that parents of young Warcraft fans should be aware of.

Read on to access your free guide and catch up on the latest online safety news…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

Happy new year! We’re going back to basics with our first #WakeUpWednesday guide of 2023 – a special edition in poster format, with some January reminders about simple things that children and young people can do to make themselves safer online. They’re likely to have encountered some of these suggestions before, but there’s no harm in refreshing their memory for the months ahead.

Most tech-savvy youngsters will probably have memorised the fundamentals, like keeping passwords secret and not chatting to strangers on the internet – but some children may benefit from remembering slightly less obvious steps such as treating anything they read online with caution or asking permission before downloading a gam

Read on to access your free guide and catch up on the latest online safety news…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

Dear Parents/Carers,

As Christmas approaches your children may spend more time online and using devices. Please follow the link below to find out more about managing your child’s screen time over the festive period and beyond.

https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/screen-time/

Best wishes

<span class="su-quote-cite">Mark Richards, Lord Deramore's Primary School</span>

Using social media has plenty of potential benefits for young people: it helps them stay connected to their friends, hear contrasting views on the world, find reassurance or support, and ease social anxiety. It also brings, however, a corresponding number of negative possibilities – including compulsive use, unhealthy comparisons with others online and exposure to harmful content.

Ironically – for a medium designed to enable engagement with other people – social platforms can actually lead to children feeling increasingly isolated and lonely, taking an obvious toll on their mental wellbeing. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has our top tips on how trusted adults can support healthier social media habits in young people.

Read on to access your free guide and catch up on the latest online safety news…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

Around an eighth of the world’s population use TikTok. Consider the scale of that reach, and that the app’s demographic is heavily skewed towards younger people – with almost half (41%) of those users aged 16–24. TikTok itself advises a minimum age of 13 to access the platform (with certain features for over-18s only), but reports suggest that some children as young as 10 use it.

Given the youthfulness of its user-base, TikTok has faced numerous age-related challenges such as inappropriate content in videos, in-app purchasing and children being contacted by strangers on the platform. Updated for 2022, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide tells trusted adults everything they need to know to help young people stay safe on TikTok.

Read on to access your free guide and catch up on the latest online safety news…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

Modern Warfare II is the 19th instalment in the relentless Call of Duty series, which shows no sign of shedding popularity. In fact, this latest release has reportedly broken lucrative new ground for the franchise – almost unbelievably garnering $1 billion in sales in its first ten days of availability (according to the publishers, Activision), making it the fastest-selling Call of Duty title yet.

It seems young gamers can’t get enough of the high-octane gunplay that CoD offers. Their eager engagement with the game, however, can lead to hours of compulsive playing; hostile audio chat exchanges with other gamers; and a willingness to make in-game purchases to level up their character. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has all the intel on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

Read on to access your free guide and catch up on the latest online safety news…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>

According to Ofcom’s 2022 Media Use and Attitudes report, children are now more likely to be bullied via technology than they are to experience it in person. An alarming 84% of 8 to 17-year-olds who reported being targeted said it had taken place via messaging, social media, online gaming and so on, as opposed to 61% who had been intimidated face-to-face.

Just like its offline counterpart, cyber-bullying creates feelings of isolation and anxiety in its victims, along with a loss of self-esteem and potentially thoughts of self-harm or suicide. In support of Anti-Bullying Week, today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has expert tips on how trusted adults can help to prevent online bullying or reduce its damaging effects

Read on to access your free guide and catch up on the latest online safety news…<span class="su-quote-cite">National Online Safety</span>