What is it? Instagram, which is very popular with young people, has officially launched their latest function ‘Reels’ in the UK. It’s the latest feature to be added to the platform and lets users create short 15 second videos with popular music, different filters and effects. It is largely considered to be Instagram’s
What is Sharenting? Many parents use social media to share important moments of their children’s lives with friends and family. Some children’s digital footprints begin before they are even born, when parents share an image of a baby scan to announce their exciting news. Creating a digital footprint for a child by
What are algorithms? We all hear the word ‘algorithms’ in the news so often, and it’s normally in relation to social media. But what exactly is an ‘algorithm’? Algorithms are essentially instructions or procedures that allow computers to operate more effectively. In the online world, they are used to
Our digital safeguarding team continually review and test social media platforms In the past week, they focused on TikTok, testing its safety features and the effectiveness of the platform’s ability to monitor and remove explicit content The team used a login of a 14 year old to see what content they
Instagram is set to release a new feature called Reels in the UK, potentially by August 2020. We have been keeping track of the release and here is what we know so far. Reels is Instagram’s attempt to match TikTok’s dominance of short form video sharing. The feature is aimed at Instagram’s
“We live in a data-driven world. Almost every transaction and interaction you have with most organisations involves you sharing personal data, such as your name, address and birth date. You share data online too, every time you visit a website, search for or buy something, use social media or send an email.” (ICO,
An influencer is someone with an online social media presence and with a large enough following to market or ‘influence’ their audience to buy products, services and goods. The truth is that anyone can be an influencer, and some are famous solely for being an influencer. Popular influencers often create and sustain a
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
You may have seen recent media reports about the re-emergence of online viral challenges. We monitor these closely to make sure our network has the information they need to protect children and young people online. In the last few weeks, we have seen reports of a reappearance of the Blue Whale Challenge.
Since the pandemic, many young people and their parents have reported struggling with their mental health. Mental health charity Young Minds found that 51% of young people in the UK said that the Coronavirus pandemic made their mental health a bit worse 32% said the situation has made their mental health
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Have you checked your set up? The Family Sharing settings on Apple products are a great way to share music, TV, books or other purchases made on the App store with all the family. The feature allows you to set up ‘Parent’ and ‘Child’ accounts on Apple devices, which means the
“[The] daily routine [for my foster child] was a short walk [and] the rest of the day...was unlimited Fortnite in his room. He speaks of several attempts of strangers trying to contact him via the game.” (Ineqe Safeguarding Group Digital Safeguarding Survey, 2020) The world of gaming continues to evolve with 93% of
With over 30 years’ experience in education leadership, Dawn Hewitson is a Designated Safeguarding Lead and teaches Computer Science and Secondary Education at Edge Hill University. She sat down with us to discuss how to respond to sexting and image sharing. “If a child talks to you about
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
As schools begin to gradually re-open, it is essential that all staff are prepared for potentially sensitive conversations that may take place. With pupils having spent a long time at home and out of school, many teachers have expressed concern about the needs of pupils once they return. It is important that staff feel prepared
How young people tell their ‘story’ through Social Media From a young age, children become immersed in a world of stories, which aid children’s development as it heightens their imagination and exposes them to new language and emotions. These narratives are then used to shape their sense of reality as they grow
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Facebook has launched a new function this week to help users manage the content they have shared on their profile. The new function is described by Facebook as a method “...to make it easy for you to curate your presence on Facebook to more accurately reflect who you are today.” The ‘manage activity’ function
How we use screens has changed how we live our lives. They make our education, work and social activities easier, quicker and slicker. As the national lockdown continues, young people will be spending more time indoors which means more screen time. For a while now, we’ve seen debates about screen time pass
This printable pack includes resources such as: A colour-by-numbers for younger children A DIY Filter pack with printable photo props A colourful scavenger hunt that can be used indoors and outdoors & more... Download this printable activity pack to give children in your care the opportunity to get
Key Points Gaming Disorder has been classified as a mental health condition by the World Health Organisation The NHS has launched a service to tackle gaming disorder Gaming Disorder has multiple symptoms including irritation and lack of sleep Young people with pre-existing mental conditions may be more susceptible
Key Points Ofcom report shows half of all UK adults have been exposed to fake news about Coronavirus in the past week. An EU report blames various state actors incl. Russia and China for the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories. The UK opens a special unit to combat the spread