Keeping Your Children Safe Online
25th November 24
Digital devices and the internet are an ever-greater presence in all our lives, and we have seen many developments at King Alfred over the last year – we recently shared the below advice with our community.
Smartphones
As you’ll be aware, students up to Sixth Form have no access to their devices during the school day, and we are trialling a ‘feature phone only’ policy in Year 7. Lower School continues to ask parents not to provide their children with a phone at all. If your child requires one for independent travel, they may bring a feature phone that is handed in to the LS office on arrival at school.
There is significant and extensive evidence that smartphones are not appropriate for children until at least 14, and possibly later than that. Your support and positive feedback for the changes to the way we handle smartphones at KAS has been greatly appreciated.
Digital Citizenship
It’s undeniable that the future will see technology continue to play a crucial role in both our personal and working lives. At KAS we believe that it’s important we teach our
students to understand how technology can be used safely, efficiently and effectively. Our approach is guided by the perspective of ‘Creators not Consumers’, guiding our
learners away from seeing digital technologies as tools of consumption and towards being tools of creation.
Your child will use a range of technology during their time at King Alfred as they develop their Digital Literacy. As part of your child’s PSHE, they will be taught how to become ethical, safe and upstanding digital citizens, including how to balance their use of digital devices with a range of offline activities; and how to manage potential risks to their wellbeing.
This content covers:
- Media Balance & Well-Being
- Privacy and Security
- Digital Footprint & Identity
- Relationships & Communication
- Cyberbullying, Digital Drama & Hate Speech
- News & Media Literacy
Roblox
KAS continues to stress in the strongest possible terms that you should not allow your children to use the video game/website Roblox. It has been consistently linked with
highly inappropriate and offensive content, as well as being noted in several reports as a platform for child grooming and paedophilic material. Over the last year there has been a steep rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic games available with no age restrictions, including several that are explicitly linked to the ongoing conflict and advertised for ‘Israel haters.’
Advice For Parents
- Install filtering software on the devices your children use at home to prevent them from being exposed to inappropriate content. We recommend OpenDNS Family Shield, a free service run by a non-profit organisation. If you need help, contact kevint@kingalfred.org.uk
- Set fair and consistent rules in relation to your child’s internet use at home. As they get older, try to agree the rules with them so that they have some control over their digital world. Some families may find it useful to create a Family Media Use Agreement, please find some examples here.
- Teach your child to think critically about what they see, read or hear online. As they get older, they need to able to assess for themselves whether they are in a risky online place and whether the information they are receiving is reliable and helpful to them.
- Maintain a positive outlook on your child’s use of the internet. Whatever you think of the stuff they watch, if you only criticise the apps or games they love, they are not going to want to talk to you about their online life. Remember if something happens online at home don’t get mad, get curious.
- Children who can recover from an online mistake can learn and avoid making the same mistake again. You can help by making it easy for them to talk to you about their mishaps. At KAS we encourage children to speak to an adult right away if anything online makes them feel upset, uncomfortable or angry. This allows them to put distressing experiences in context and get immediate support.
- Allow your child to have a degree of ownership of their online life. Having some control over any given situation is an important part of resilience – and an important part of digital resilience. It’s essential in helping them understand and develop their own sense of what’s right and wrong online.
- Talk about what they think is normal online and what behaviour to expect from others and from themselves.
- Don’t be afraid to set boundaries for device use at home. Young children and adolescents need assistance to find balance with their internet use, especially as many apps, games and services are designed to foster compulsive behaviours. Device controls such as Screen Time (iOS & MacOS), Microsoft Family Safety (Xbox, Windows laptops) and Google Family (Android) are all free and come built into your existing devices. Please see this comprehensive guide for more details or contact Kevin to book an appointment for personal support.
The Four ‘D’s
Supporting, setting up and implementing the 4 D’s at home is a good idea but pick your battles and be realistic:
1. Digital free zones – would keeping devices out of bedrooms, or in a particular area of your home, be beneficial for your family?
2. Digital role models – parents and carers leading by example online and with digital usage helps to set the standard for how your children will use their devices.
3. Digital sunset – Blue light from devices has been shown to interrupt your body’s production of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. To prevent this, young people should stop using mobile devices two hours before they go to sleep.
4. Digital detox – as a family, why not try a gadget free day or hour?
For further advice, information or support, please don’t hesitate to contact Tracy Preston – Designated Safeguarding Lead or Kevin Tibble – Digital Literacy Coordinator.
