E-SAFETY SUPPORT
Chelsea’s Choice
Chelsea’s Choice by Alter Ego Theatre Company
Year 8 attended a production by the Alter Ego theatre company on Thursday 26th April.
The play “Chelsea’s Choice” was a hard hitting and very powerful play dealing with issues of child sexual exploitation, safe internet use and the dangers of unhealthy relationships.
Students followed the story of a group of three students who discover the diary of a girl called Chelsea. Chelsea was a young girl who, having fallen out with her friends and family, was approached by a man called Gary. Gary was older, owned a car, had a flat and treated her like an adult. Unfortunately Gary was not what he seemed to be. Chelsea’s story is played out and examined by the three students who along with their teacher, attempt to understand what happened to Chelsea and how it could have been prevented.
The cast talked to students at the end of the performance about a number of issues. These included Healthy relationships, safe internet use. They highlighted the point that the perpetrators are so manipulative that often young people involved won’t even recognise that is happening to them.
At the end of the performance students were given a leaflet with details of how to deal with situations like Chelsea’s and they were given a leaflet with helpful contact numbers and email addresses. The cast spoke individually to students as they were leaving the hall in case they had questions or issues to raise.
The students were gripped by the storyline even though many found some of the content very harrowing. The cast were brilliant and dealt with these difficult issues in a lively and entertaining way for our students. Year 8 thoroughly enjoyed the performance and behaved superbly throughout.
Paedophiles are using Facebook and WhatsApp to groom children as young as nine
A new law came in to place to help protect children last year
Children as young as nine in the West Midlands are being groomed on Facebook and Instagram. A total of 21 offences of sexual communication with a child were recorded by West Midlands Police since the new law came in to place in April last year.
Campaign launched to protect children from sexual abuse
Parents and carers in Jersey are being encouraged to speak with children about how to protect themselves from sexual abuse.
Jersey Safeguarding Partnership Board have teamed up with the NSPCC to launch a new campaign on the issue and set up a helpline.
Trained staff will be available 24/7 via phone and online and is free to call from Jersey.
The campaign also includes age-appropriate resources, including YouTube video with the ‘Pantosaurus’ – an animated pants-wearing dinosaur – to educate children about sexual abuse.
It’s hoped it will help parents talk to their children about difficult and sensitive subjects.
The PANTS campaign is being launched in April
- NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
Social Media Age Restrictions
According to a recent survey for CBBC News it suggests that more than three-quarters of children aged 10 to 12 in the UK have social media accounts, even though they are below the appropriate age limit. Among the under-13s, 78% were using at least one social media network, despite being below the age requirement and more than one in five underage children have faced online bullying.
Please be aware of the recommended “safe and responsible” use of social media sites using the age appropriate visual attached.
Kids struggle to hold pencils due to too much tech
Kids struggle to hold pencils due to too much tech
For children born into the digital age, technology is a fundamental part of everyday life. However, healthcare professionals have recently raised concerns that this overuse of touchscreens and tablets is preventing children from developing the most basic skills such as how to write.
Mental health risks to girls who spend more than an hour a day on social media – new study
For tweens and early teens, the rise in time spent on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media is really quite dramatic.
Culture minister Matt Hancock recently suggested the government could impose limits on the amount of time children spend on social media. In February, the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee launched a new inquiry to examine the health risks to children and young teens of increasing amounts of time on social media.
Teen sexting may be more common than you think
At least one in four teens are receiving sexually explicit texts and emails, and at least one in seven are sending sexts, a new study suggests.
Sexting can be a healthy way for young people to explore sexuality and intimacy when it’s consensual, said lead study author Sheri Madigan of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the University of Calgary in Canada. The trouble is that when it’s coerced, or when sexts are shared without permission, it can feel a lot like cyberbullying, with many of the same dangerous mental health consequences.
Social media sites harming pupils´ mental health, heads warn
Headteachers are calling for new social media laws to keep children safe, amid concerns that youngsters’ use of these sites is harming their mental health.
Most school leaders have received reports of pupils being bullied or being exposed to unsuitable material – such as sexual content or hate speech, with some saying this is happening on a daily or weekly basis, according to a small-scale poll by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
Charity calls on parents to make online safety a priority
‘The internet is not without its risks for children who can stumble across inappropriate content or even become victims of online abuse’
A charity supporting young people at risk of abuse has called on parents to make online safety a priority if their children received electronic items for Christmas.
These include smartphone, tablets or games consoles.
The advice comes after a survey of 442 parents of five to 10 year olds found 46 percent didn’t have parental controls set up on internet-enabled devices used by their children.
Gambling-style apps offered on Facebook without age checks
Fears grow over children’s risk of addiction as fixed-odds betting terminal supplier offers ‘social games’ aimed at young people
The company behind thousands of the UK’s fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) is offering gambling-style apps on Facebook without age checks, prompting allegations that children are being exposed to the risk of addiction.
Earlier this month, the industry watchdog warned that more than 60,000 children were either gambling addicts or were in danger of becoming hooked. Experts have warned that games mimicking real-life gambling are the “number one risk factor” for developing a problem later in life.
Schools ‘should help children with social media risk’
Schools should play a bigger role in preparing children for social media’s emotional demands as they move from primary to secondary school, England’s children’s commissioner says.
Anne Longfield said she was worried many pupils at that stage became anxious about their identity and craved likes and comments for validation.
Her study said children aged eight to 12 found it hard to manage the impact. The government said it was working with schools on online safety education.
The report into the effects of social media on eight to 12-year-olds claimed many children were over-dependent on “likes” and comments for social validation. It said children approach a “cliff-edge” as they move from primary to secondary school, when social media becomes more important in their lives.
Why online child sexual abuse must be taken more seriously
Research shows online abuse can be just as devastating for young people as offline abuse, although it’s often seen as less of a concern by professionals
Relatively little is known about the impact of sexual abuse involving online and digital technology. To improve understanding of the effects of this type of abuse, the NSPCC commissioned researchers from the universities of Bath and Birmingham to explore and compare how online and offline sexual abuse impacts young people, and how professionals respond to it. The report reveals some thought-provoking findings.
Prince William warns social media impacts young people’s self-esteem
The Duke of Cambridge says children and young people are increasingly under pressure compared to past generations.
Prince William has warned social media negatively impacts young people’s self-esteem and confidence.
Speaking at a children’s charity gala, the Duke of Cambridge said children and young people are increasingly under pressure compared to past generations.
Scotland’s young girls hit by epidemic of cybersex crime
Scotland has been hit by an epidemic of phone and online sex crime with girls under 16 making up three quarters of its victims.
New figures, described as a “wake-up call” by campaigners, show children bearing the brunt of a surge in “indecent communications” enabled by the web.
Anonymous ‘honesty’ websites: safety experts tell parents to be vigilant
Proliferation of anonymous feedback apps such as Sarahah is prompting concerns about cyberbullying among schoolchildren
Online safety experts have warned parents to be vigilant about teenagers’ use of anonymous feedback apps that allow users to leave unnamed comments about others, amid new concerns over cyberbullying.
Facebook takes on online suicide challenges
Facebook on Friday said it is working with suicide prevention partners to collect phrases, hashtags and group names associated with online challenges encouraging self-harm or suicide.
How are smartphones affecting teenagers?
A generation who have spent their entire adolescence with smartphones are feeling the effects, including negative impacts on their mental health, says author Jean Twenge.
Young people want social media firms to act on bullying
Around 80 per cent of young people think social media companies should do more to tackle cyber bullying, according to a study.
Almost half have experienced threatening, intimidating or nasty messages and 14 per cent have been a victim of online bullying in the last month, research by YoungMinds and The Children’s Society found.
Talk to your children about their online lives every two weeks, urges charity
Internet safety should be treated like road safety and caution with strangers as new figures show frequency of exposure to inappropriate content, says children’s charity
A leading charity has urged parents to do more to keep their children safe online as new figures reveal how often young people are exposed to violence, hatred, sexual content, bullying and other inappropriate content when using the internet.
Social media is as harmful as alcohol and drugs for millennials
The word “addiction” brings to mind alcohol and drugs. Yet, over the past 20 years, a new type of addiction has emerged: addiction to social media. It may not cause physical harms, such as those caused by tobacco and alcohol, but it has the potential to cause long-term damage to our emotions, behaviour and relationships
Young students dice with danger after agreeing to meet online ‘strangers’
TEACHERS and parents at one southeast Queensland school are stepping up their efforts to combat cyber crime after 28 students admitted to meeting a stranger who they had met online.
Secret Teacher: Social media is hurting pupils – we need more support
I’ve seen the harm online platforms can do to children, but the government is slow to respond. Its latest plans don’t go far enough
This week, the government announced plans to target “sexting and cyberbullying” as part of an initiative to make the internet safer for young people. It is to meet with technology companies, charities, academies and mental health professionals to develop a strategy. All this sounds wonderful, but the speed of reaction to what has been a very real situation for years has been painfully slow.
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Child Online Safety:
A practical guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media
View the Guide: Social Media Guidance for parents UKCCIS – Dec 2015 (pdf)
O2 and the NSPCC have joined forces to help parents and families in the UK learn how to keep kids safe online.
They have launched a free helpline where you can get advice from experts on the following topics:
- Setting up parental controls on your computer or other devices
- Help adjusting privacy settings
- Understanding social networks
- Concerns about online gaming
- App advice
- Online bullying
- Downloading
- Strangers online
- Online addiction
- Paying for extras
- And much more…………..
Helpline opening times:
Monday – Friday: 9am to 7pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am to 6pm
Bank Holidays: 10am to 4pm
The number for the helpline is 0800 800 5002. For further information see www.o2.co.uk/nspcc
