How to stay safe online
During the current period of more learning opportunities and delivery is made available online, it is important to remember how to stay safe online. Here is our easy to follow guide to staying safe online.
Identifying Potential Risks
Social media platforms and apps like Skype and Zoom, and of course internet usage are a great way to keep in touch with friends and family and provides opportunities for you to continue with your learning, have fun and discover new hobbies.
However, the internet can expose you to risks including:
• Cyberbullying
• Online grooming
• Emotional abuse
• Online abuse
• Scams/frauds
• Extremism
Social Media
Social media is all about sharing. However, over-sharing or inappropriate sharing could cause you problems.
Our tips for sharing content are:
1. Photos: post appropriate pictures only. There are laws governing the sharing of images. See the Gov.uk website for further guidance on appropriate image sharing. Note this link will take you out of this website.
2. Privacy: check your privacy settings are high, only share with friends and family and keep the personal chat personal
3. People: remember, not everyone is who they say they are. Don’t accept or send friend requests to people you don’t know.
4. Posts: Share with care. Pause for thought before you post anything. Could it offend or upset someone? Once you put something out there, you are not in control of it anymore.
5. Personal information: give away as little personal information as possible. Be careful not to reveal personal information accidentally. For example, by posting a picture with information in the background. The more information = the more vulnerable you are to fraudsters or abusers.
Online gaming
You may be spending your free time playing online games as a way to relax, socialise with your friends and have fun.
But remember, you can be at risk of abuse and fraud through gaming just as much as you can through social media usage.
The risk of online gaming include:
• Being Bullied
• Trolling, griefing and scams
• In-game purchases
• Talking to people you don’t know
Extremism & Radicalisation
During this time, please remain extra vigilant. Extremists use social media sites to identify, target and contact people, this may be about political, religious views or relevant conspiracy theories.
Advice/signs to look out for:
• Be aware of what content you are actively searching for, this may bring up content considered as Radical.
• Not all content you read is true. Inaccurate content can sometimes have a hidden agenda. Ensure you seek factually correct information from reputable websites such as BBC News, Gov.uk.
• Conversations you have on mainstream social media may be moved to platforms such as Kik Messenger or Omegle. Moving to a less mainstream platform makes the conversation less easy to monitor and increases anonymity for Extremists.
• Know who you are talking to online, consider re-visiting your privacy settings.
• Are your beliefs/views being challenged or influenced, consider why this is?
Further help and advice
Worried about yourself or somebody else’s online activities? Speak to your Designated Safeguarding Lead
Amanda Darlington : Head of Adult Learning and Skills
Staffordshire County Council, 2 Staffordshire Place, Stafford, ST16 2DH