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What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Pop Ups

On the internet or on social media, it’s likely that you’ve come across the occasional pop-up – promising a great deal on some product or service, declaring that you’ve won some kind of prize, or making any other number of tempting claims. This marketing tactic has been around for almost 30 years and shows no signs of disappearing any time soon.

Unfortunately, pop-up advertising carries with it various online safety risks, as we can never be certain where those links will take us or how legitimate their creators are. These ads can be especially risky for children and young people, who may not yet be able to look at such marketing with a critical eye. However, our free online safety guide will educate you on pop-ups, their associated risks, and how to safeguard yourself and young people from this phenomenon.

Source:
Meyer et al., Advertising in Young Children’s Apps: A Content Analysis, 2019
https://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/abstract/2019/01000/advertising_in_young_children_s_apps__a_content.4.aspx

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This guide is from National Online Safety.

10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators: Encouraging Healthy Friendships

While not specifically about e-safety, this guide from NOS explores friendships between children and young people, and offers advice on how to help them nurture healthy relationships with one another which we hope you will find useful – both online and offline.

It’s common for young people to have comparatively less of an understanding of social conventions. While children can benefit from this to some degree – making friends at the drop of a hat – this can also generate a good deal of confusion regarding certain aspects of any relationships that they form.

Grab our guide below!National Online Safety

Click for a larger .pdf version!

This guide is from National Online Safety.

What Parents & Educators Can Learn from the Ofcom Media Report 2024

On 19th April 2024, Ofcom released their annual Media Use and Attitudes Report, detailing the findings of several surveys and their implications for parents, children and young people in the UK. These statistics often include plenty of thought-provoking information relating to online safety.

The report itself is extremely extensive, so instead we’ve provided a bespoke selection of data gathered by Ofcom about children and young people’s experiences on social media, video games and the like. Check our guide for a thorough breakdown of the headline findings.

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This guide is from National Online Safety. You can find the full OFCOM report here, on their website.

10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators: Developing Healthy Sleep Patterns

Dreaming of a decent night’s sleep? 🥱🛌 Many of us are – and it’s a particularly pervasive problem for young people. Concerningly, research has suggested that around 70% of teens get less than the recommended 8–10 hours’ sleep per night. The effects of poor-quality sleep on a developing mind, of course, can be harmful over a prolonged period.

Although a significant portion of under-18s struggle for shut eye, there is still plenty we can do to support them in getting the beneficial rest they need during those formative years. Compiled in conjunction with our friends at award-winning mental health charity Minds Ahead, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has tips on helping children to develop healthy sleeping habits 💤

Grab our guide below!National Online Safety

This guide is from National Online Safety.

Paired Reading for World Book Day

You asked for paired reading across classes, and World Book Day was a perfect opportunity for all of us to do this! You can find more World Book Day photos on Facebook and Twitter.

No Hedgehog News is Good News!

We haven’t had many hedgehog updates recently – but this is excellent news, as hogs who are out and about during the day are usually sick. It seems that at the moment our hedgehog friends are happy, healthy and quietly enjoying sharing our lovely school grounds with us!

Top Tips for Managing Screen Time

From using them for communication, work, shopping and entertainment, devices such as smartphones, laptops and the rest are now deeply ingrained into modern society. Small wonder, then, that young people – who’ve grown up surrounded by such gadgets – can sometimes struggle to put them down, switch them off or keep themselves occupied without them.

While limiting our screen time may require a great deal of restraint, the effort can be rewarded with significant benefits to our physical and mental health. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has simple tips for helping to manage the amount of screen time in your household – encouraging the whole family to spend more quality time together and live in the moment.

Grab our guide below!National Online Safety

Click for a larger .pdf version

This guide is from National Online Safety.

Smartphone Safety Tips for Young People

According to Ofcom, 69% of under-18s use a smartphone as their main method of going online. Additionally, 49% of children use them for online gaming – putting smartphones only behind consoles (59%) as the device of choice for playing games on. Most people won’t require such statistical evidence, however, to acknowledge the huge importance of phones to young people.

Given that Santa’s recent visit is likely to have bestowed smartphones on an even greater number of young people, it’s a particularly opportune moment to ensure that children are able to use their handsets responsibly – and, above all, safely. From passcodes to parental controls, and from screen time to scams, our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the essential advice.

Grab our guide below!National Online Safety

Click for a larger .pdf version

This guide is from National Online Safety.