Important e-Safety information for parents: Google+

       Did you know the minimum age requirement to own a Google account in the UK is 13? In Holland it’s 16. Parents and carers may understand a Google account to be email, but it has actually video chat, live messaging, a YouTube channel and blogging amongst other features. This is called Google+ and when children sign-up, they can often forget to apply settings and leave everything they do or say open to the entire web. It is therefore essential for safeguarding their children that parents and carers fully understand the risks involved should they decide social networking is appropriate for their primary school-age child, despite Google’s rules.

Here is a link to an excellent guide to using Google+ in a safer way that will help to protect children from damaging conduct, contact and content. It was written for parents of teens.

To find out if your child has a Google+ account, ask them. And/or type your child's full name into the YouTube search bar.

Another e-Safety evening for parents is scheduled for February 2015. Attendees found the last session illuminating and came way feeling more confident about how to protect their primary school-age children’s online lives. Please register your interest on the slip at the bottom of the letter that went home today.

In the meantime, here are our Digital Leaders’ top tips for staying safe online:

ALWAYS use a made-up name

ALWAYS use a picture for your avatar that is not of your face

ALWAYS have ‘friends’ online who you know as friends in real-life

ALWAYS offer a general location or better still, none at all: never your school or street

ALWAYS think about your digital footprint: anything you comment on now could be searched in a few years by a college or employer.  What would they think of you?

ALWAYS switch off comments on YouTube in your settings. If you post something interesting, then it’s the number of views you get that counts anyway.

ALWAYS behave online as you would in real life.

THE GOLDEN RULE:

IF YOU ARE WORRIED, TALK TO AN ADULT AT HOME OR SCHOOL,
OR SEARCH CEOP and PRESS THE BUTTON . . .

Some of the things we do to help children enjoy the internet safely include: an acclaimed and rigorous e-Safety and Digital Citizenship curriculum, participating in Safer Internet Day, full staff and Governor training, Parents' e-Safety evenings, e-Safety outreach in other schools, participating in Anti-Bullying Week and discussing e-Safety in PSHE lessons.

If you want more information about how you can support from home, click here.