On this page: Internet and mobiles | 5-12 Year olds | 13-17 year olds | How to deal with Cyber bullying | e-Safety Sources of Information and Guidance | Resources | e-Safety Strategy and Policy | e-Safety Mousemat competition

The Internet and mobiles

The internet can be a great way for children to learn and share ideas with others through blogs, gaming and instant messaging. With the right sites, support and tools they can develop their education and social skills safely. Below are some tips that, if followed, can give you the confidence that your child gets the most from the Internet and their mobile phone whilst avoiding any adult content or other potential harm.

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5-12 Year olds

5-12 year olds tend to be eager to read and learn and want to talk about new ideas. They are also keen to make new friends and also tend to be quite trusting. Surfing, talking in chat rooms and forums are favourite online pastimes at this age.

Some safety tips:

• Keep your computer in the living room or somewhere you can keep an eye on your child's activity.
• Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that's built in to Internet Explorer. Google bar (downloadable from http://toolbar.google.com/) also has an excellent pop up blocker.
• You can add buttons at the top of your browser which link to websites that you would rather your child was looking at. You can do this by dragging the icon next to the web address link onto where it says 'Links' in your browser bar.
• Use kid-friendly search engines (such as MSN Kids Search) or search engines with parental controls.
• Help to set up any email accounts with your child and use e-mail filters to block messages that contain specific words or phrases. If you are using web mail normally filters are already in place but it should explain in your account or tool options how to alter these.
• Try to encourage your child to let you sit with them when they are asked to give out personal information on profiles, forums or any other accounts. Don't let them use their real names, photos or addresses in anything that may be accessible to the public, including nicknames. Tell them to never give out this information in chat rooms or on email.
• Teach your kids not to download software, music, photos, and other files without asking you first.
• Allow your kids to use only monitored chat rooms and message boards on reputable kids' sites.
• It is advised to talk to your children about healthy sexuality, because kids can easily come across pornography and other adult content online.
• Most importantly show your child that you have an interest in their games and friends on the Internet, then they'll be more likely to tell you about anything or anyone they come across which may be harmful to them.
• Toward their teens it is a good idea to talk to your kids about responsible online behaviour. Some children can be influenced to use the Internet to spread gossip, bully, or make threats against others. We have written a section on how to spot and deal with 'cyber bullying'.

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13-17 year olds

It's common for teens to seek the approval of their friends, including people they meet online through gaming and chat rooms, and be more rebellious toward their parent's wishes. They may be at a point in life where they are trying to form some kind of identity so will want a little more independence from their parents.

It is also at this age that kids may start exploring their sexuality so may be more tempted to look at websites which contain pornography or be more experimental with flirtation in chat rooms. Teens tend to be more open to new ideas but lack the life experience to judge them appropriately.

• Chat with your kids about which chat rooms or message boards they visit, and whom they talk to. Encourage them to tell you if someone is bullying them or making them feel uncomfortable.
• Be aware that teens may come across sites that are set up to be racist or homophobic. Be open to questioning and encourage your child to form their own opinions and not be influenced too much by others.
• Insist that they never agree to meet an online friend. Or if you think they may do it anyway, try and encourage them to take a friend and to meet and stay in a public place.
• Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that's built in to Internet Explorer.  Google bar (downloadable from http://toolbar.google.com/) also has an excellent pop up blocker.
• Ask them to never to give out personal information, including photos of themselves, when using e-mail, chat rooms, or instant messaging or on personal profiles.
• Teach your kids not to download programs, music, or files without your permission. They may be downloading something damaging, like a virus, or illegal software.
• Discuss online adult content and pornography with them, and encourage them to look at positive sites about health and sexuality.
• Help protect them from spam. Tell your teens not to give out their e-mail address online, not to respond to junk mail, and to use e-mail filters.
• It is a good idea to talk to your kids about responsible online behaviour. Some children can be influenced to use the Internet to spread gossip, bully, or make threats against others.
• Tell your kids to check with you before ordering, buying, or selling items online.

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What to do if a child is being cyber-bullied, threatened or stalked

• If a child is being bullied or harassed via their mobile you should be able to call their phone provider who can give you advice on how to deal with the offender.
• If a bullying website has been put up the ISP should take down the offending site as soon as they are contacted if they think they have reason to.
• If they are being bullied or harassed on a chat site then contact those that run the service who should ban the offender, or report them to the police if need be.
• In more serious cases, where personal information has been obtained by a potential groomer, threats have been made or photos are being shared then the police should be contacted.
• Encourage the child to keep records of all cases of bullying or harassment, this will help any case you have to present to the service provider or police.

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e-Safety Sources of information and guidance

For information and guidance in relation to e-Safety, click here: e-Safety Sources of information and guidance

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Resources

• http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/family/default.mspx - Microsoft's page on Internet safety
• Good practice models and guidance for the Internet industry on chat services, internet messenger and web based services - from the Home Office.
• www.thinkuknow.co.uk - Child friendly site that covers all areas of internet safety including blogs and internet TV.
• www.chatdanger.com - Child friendly site that gives advice on phones, gaming and chatting.
• www.childnet-int.org - Covers all areas of internet safety including blogs and provides resources for schools
• Information on Cyber bullying from bullying.co.uk
• Safety and Security on the London Grid for Learning - Information on Internet safety.

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e-Safety Strategy and Policy

Today's children are citizens of a digital world. In their daily lives the use of the internet and digital technologies, including mobile phones, represent a seamless extension of the physical world. Their emotional lives and their development are bound up in the use of these technologies. In contrast to many adults for whom these technologies are additional tools to be used for specific tasks, many of today's children do not even notice they are using these technologies. As online content, social networks and instant messaging converge with mobile technology to produce lives which are always 'on', any line which may have existed between being online and offline is disintegrating.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their locality. If we accept the challenge of the digital world then the responsibilities which come with this duty must now include the development of strategies for safeguarding children in the online environment.

To ignore e-safety issues when implementing statutory guidance could ultimately lead to significant gaps in child protection policies, leaving children and young people vulnerable. Non-statutory practice guidance issued in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) includes a section on child abuse and ICT (paragraphs 11.58-11.62). Paragraph 11.62 states: 'As part of their role in preventing abuse and neglect, LSCBs should consider activities to raise awareness about the safe use of the internet.

Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) accepted this role and responsibility and developed an e-Safety Strategy, Action Plan and e-Safety Policy, which was ratified by the WSCB and launched on 3rd June 2009. All WSCB partners are committed to fulfilling their safeguarding responsibilities and have agreed to implement the e-Safety Strategy and Action Plan. The e-Safety Policy was also developed to assist agencies in developing their own policy. The Strategy sets out WSCB's response to the challenge of the digital world and our strategic direction for 2008-2011, in line with the Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP).

e-Safety Strategy

e-Safety Policy

e-Safety Action Plan with timescales included (Word document)

If you wish to receive hard a copy of the e-Safety Strategy and/or e-Safety Policy, please email us at wscb@wscb.org.uk or contact WSCB on 020 8871 8610 to request a copy.

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e-Safety Mousemat competition - safeguarding children and young people in the digital world

A 'Keeping safe online' mousemat competition took place, inviting all children and young people aged 5-18 years old, to submit a design for a mousemat that tells their friends how to keep and be safe whilst using the Internet, digital and mobile technology.

There were two categories: one for the age group 5-11 and the other for age group 12-18. We received an overwhelming response, which we were delighted with. All the entries were very creative and it was hard to choose a winner for each category. After much consideration and keeping the key focus on the 'keeping safe online' message, we choose one winner for each of the categories, which we felt gave a very clear message of things to consider when a child or young person is online and therefore how to keep themselves safe whilst using the Internet. Two runners-up were also selected for each category.

The winners and runners-up for the two categories were:

Category 5-11 year olds:
• Winner - Tatyana Papas - Swaffield Primary
• Runner-up - Chloe Humphreys - Penwortham After School Club
• Runner-up - Maisie Doswell - Granard Primary

Category 12-18 year olds:
• Winner - Adrian Thompson - South Thames College
• Runner up - Jade Panganiban – South Thames College
• Runner-up - Zain Ul-Haq - Oak Lodge School

The prizegiving was held at Wandsworth Town Hall on 11th December 2008. All the prize winners and their families were invited to attend. The prizes were handed out to the winners and runners up by Councillor Tracey, Cabinet Member for Children & Young People's Services and Paul Robinson, Chair of WSCB. Many photos were taken, which can be viewed below. Both winning designs have now been produced and are being distributed to all schools, youth clubs, libraries, ICT suites, etc. across the borough.

The prizegiving event was combined with a presentation to say thank you to another group of young people and their families who participated and contributed to Wandsworth's Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP) and Parenting Strategy.

Again, a big thank you and congratulations to all 6 prize winners for their participation in the competition and sharing their views through their designs with other children and young people on how to keep themselves safe online.

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