Keeping your child safe online
Most social media accounts are for people aged 13 and over, but some are younger or older. Age restrictions are there for your safety.
App guide including official age rating
The app guides for families on Hwb give advice on how to report an issue on some of the most popular social networks, apps and gaming sites.
Are you aware of WhatsApp Chat Lock and secret code feature?
In May 2023, What’s App launched a new feature which enables users to belong to Whats app groups and send & receive messages that can only be seen/accessed with an unique password.
Introducing Secret Code for Chat Lock extract from WhatsApp blog below:
“Earlier this year we rolled out Chat Lock to help people protect their more sensitive conversations. Today we’re launching secret code, an additional way to protect those chats and make them harder to find if someone has access to your phone or you share a phone with someone else.
With a secret code you’ll now be able to set a unique password different from what you use to unlock your phone to give your locked chats an extra layer of privacy. You’ll have the option to hide the Locked Chats folder from your chatlist so that they can only be discovered by typing your secret code in the search bar. If that doesn’t suit your needs, you can still choose to have them appear in your chatlist. Whenever there’s a new chat which you want to lock, you can now long press to lock it rather than visiting the chat’s settings.”
I understand that, given the official age rating, WhatsApp isn’t typically something primary schools manage. Safeguarding children while allowing them access to social media is a challenge for all parents. Many vigilant parents keep an eye on their child’s message threads and groups, but it’s important to note that WhatsApp now offers a feature to hide locked chats from the chat list.
Concerned parents often turn to their child’s school for help with issues encountered online or through social media. We aim to provide pastoral support and, if necessary, escalate matters to other child protection services. However, schools do not have the means or authority to investigate social media or online issues directly.
We encourage parents to regularly monitor and discuss their child’s internet and social media use. This helps ensure that their online behavior and interactions with others are appropriate and protects them from exposure to adult content or online exploitation.
Please see our RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND CARERS – KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE ONLINE Web page
HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR CHILD
UK Safer Internet Centre have created some free activities and information for parents and carers which are available at: saferinternet.org.uk/SID-parents
Whether you have 5 minutes to start a conversation or hours to spare, there are top tips, quizzes and films which you can use at home with your child.
Reporting harmful content
https://reportharmfulcontent.com
As children and young people become more active online, there’s an increased chance they might encounter content that’s not suitable for them. This can range from mild bad language to more extreme and distressing material, including upsetting news imagery. Children might come across this content accidentally or by using apps and websites before reaching the recommended age.
*Ofcom reported that 30% of 8-15 year-olds in Wales have seen concerning or unpleasant content online (Children and parents: media use and attitudes report 2021).
Seeing inappropriate content can negatively impact a child or young person. It’s important to support them in managing their online experiences to minimize the risks of encountering harmful material.
Reporting an online issue
Most online service providers offer a reporting function for account holders and some offer a public reporting function to enable a third party to make a report on behalf of a child or young person.
Here are some other specialist reporting tools.
