Online Safety Briefing: Term 1 2017-18 #eSafety

The Education Safeguarding Team are looking to provide a series of 'briefing' blog posts throughout the year. The aim of these posts is to help DSLs in educational settings keep up-to-date with of some of the emerging online safety issues and research. It will also share links to resources and content which could help raise awareness of online safety within educational settings. This is the 1st edition and will cover Term 1 (September-October) 2017. Additional links to articles and resources can also be accessed via the Kent Online Safety Twitter feed. Some of the links identified may be useful for DSLs to use to stimulate debates or activities within the classroom, could be helpful to share with parents/carers such as via newsletters, or could provide opportunities for discussions with members of staff as part of staff meetings/briefings. Please note that this briefing should not be shared or forwarded directly with pupils and/or parents/carers due to the sensitive or distressing nature of some links. The following links are not endorsed, controlled or promoted by Kent County Council. DSLs, leaders and managers should make considered decisions about their use within the community; some material may not be suitable for direct use with children or adults, especially if they have been affected by online abuse. Before sharing links that name specific apps or websites, we recommend DSLs access the following content:

• Online Safety Alert: Think before you scare
• Engaging parents in children’s use of apps
• UK Safer Internet Centre – Online Challenges: Advice for parents

National Updates

• Ofsted: School Inspection Handbook - Updated for 30th October 2017. Safeguarding (including online safety) is referenced throughout.
• DfE: Data protection: privacy notice model documents - Suggested privacy notices for schools and local authorities to issue to staff, parents and pupils about the collection of data.
• Educate against hate: blog launched

Articles and Research

• General
  • TES Safeguarding Special: Keeping children safe online
  • Huffington Post: Police Record Average Of More Than 150 Internet-Fuelled Crimes Daily
  • NSPCC: Net Aware report 2017: "Freedom to express myself safely"
  • LSE Blog: Risks to children online are increasingly problematic. Is the new internet Safety Strategy the solution?
  • Barnardo's : Childhoods in a Digital World  
  • Daily Mail: Social media 'fuels crimes by children': From blackmail to squabbles that end in violence, report reveals toxic effects on young
    • Full report

• Computer Misuse
  • Europol: Cyber Crime Vs Cyber Security: What Will You Choose?
  • TES: Are you scared of the dark?

• Data Protection and Information Governance
  • DfE Blog: General Data Protection Regulation: Evolution or Revolution for Schools?
  • UK Safer Internet Centre: Demystifying Tech: Data breaches

• Gaming and Gambling
  • TES: A teachers’ crash course on the risks of online gambling
  • The Guardian: Virtual reality headsets could put children’s health at risk

• Peer on Peer Abuse 
  • BBC: Teenager's life 'ruined' by Live.me and Twitter 'trolls'
  • Huffington Post: One In Four Teens Admit To Bullying Someone On Social Media - But Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Panic
  • TES: Disco lights, bants and cat videos: Facebook confronts pupil cyberbullying

• Professional Conduct 
  • UK Safer Internet Centre: Professionals Online Safety update: July - September 2017
  • Daily Mail:
    • Teacher jailed after affair with her pupil
    • Teaching assistant tried to kiss special needs pupil
  • TES:
    • Unqualified teacher sent vulnerable pupil sexually-motivated emails

• Reliability and Trust
  • Huffington Post: Tackling Fake News: Do Kids Have The Critical Literacy Skills They Need to Survive And Thrive In A Digital World?
  • The Guardian: Fake news: improved critical literacy skills are key to telling fact from fiction

• Self Esteem and Mental Health 
  • The UK Safer Internet Centre: Thriving or surviving - Technology's role in mental wellbeing
  • The Guardian: Poor body image makes girls less assertive and risks health, study finds'

• Sex and Relationships Education
  • TES:
    • We need to talk about pornography in schools
  • SexEdUKation Blog: Addressing online activity with LGBT+ young people

• Sexual Abuse and Grooming
  • TES:
    • Online sexual abuse is real. Every child is at risk. Don’t look away
    • ‘Until you see someone go through this, you can’t connect with it’
    •  Tes talks to…Lorin LaFave
  • The Guardian: 'Fake model scouts tricking UK girls into sharing explicit photos'
  • Daily Mail: Serial abuser is locked up for inciting sex attacks on the internet in first case of its kind
  • The Conversation: We analysed online groomers’ conversations to find out how deceptive they really are

• Social Media
  • The Guardian: Growing social media backlash among young people, survey shows
  • The Conversation: Beauty for girls, pranks for boys – it’s the same old gender stereotypes for YouTube stars
  • Net Family News: Yellow app: Signs of smarter digital safety
  • Childnet: What is a Snapchat streak?
  • UK Safer Internet Centre: Polls and voting in Instagram Stories
  • Metro: Purple line at school marks no-go area for smartphones
  • Telegraph: WhatsApp update lets friends track your location in real time
  • The Times: Live-streaming app inadvertently broadcast users locations
  • BBC Newsround: All you need to know about new social media app 'tbh'
  • BBC: Facebook denies 'listening' to conversations

Educational Content

• Teaching Materials and Tools
  • National Literacy Trust: Fake news and critical literacy (Primary and Secondary resources)
  • iFaketextmessage: Tool to create 'fake' messages - could be useful for role play/drama or discussions with pupils
  • Get Safe Online: Teach a Nan to Phish
  • Inspired Careers: Digital Defender Campaign 
    • Part of the NCA Campaign - Cyber crime: Preventing young people from getting involved

• Video Content
  • YouTube
    • In Real Life #BeStrong': Video of a 'social experiment that shows what happens when online bullying is taken offline'.
    •  Lucy's Story:  Mum Lucy Alexander shares the  story of her son Felix, who took his own life after years of cyberbullying.
  • The Guardian/YouTube: How would you react if shopkeepers asked for the same permissions as apps?
  • CBBC: Dixi 'Friends4Ever'

• Articles
  • TES: How to use film to tackle bullying
  • Office of the eSafety Commissioner: Five ways to change up your digital reputation
  • BBC: How to 'deep clean' your online activity

Parent/Carer Content

• NWG and UKSIC: Online: Onguard – A Guide to Becoming a Safer Parent Online
• BBC and Internet Matters iWonder Guide: How can I Keep my kids safe online?
• Parent Info
  • How social media affects your teen’s self-esteem
  • Digital resilience: a parent's guide
• Think U Know: Gaming - what's appropriate for your child?
• Parents: 7 Tips for Raising Confident Kids in Our 'Like'-Obsessed Culture
• Common Sense Media: #devicefreedinner campaign

We welcome views and comments from DSLs as to if this is a helpful feature moving forward. Kent educational settings can contact the Education Safeguarding Team directly or post comments below. Make sure you subscribe to the Kent Online Safety blog to receive email alerts of future briefings.