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Wake Up Wednesdays

#WakeUpWednesday: Why we produce our weekly guides series

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/guide

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Advice from Community Safety Service, Lincolnshire County Council.

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Advice from Community Safety Service, Lincolnshire County Council.

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Over the last few months, we have seen an increase in the number of schools reporting that students, while at home, have accessed content which is not always appropriate, some of which has been quite scary or upsetting. We have also had a report of worrying trends on TikTok encouraging nudity from its users. This can have legal implications for our children and young people that they often aren’t aware of.

While there is no perfect way to eliminate this risk, we feel that there are things parents and carers can do to support their children online, reduce the risk or manage it after the fact. Remember to keep lines of Communication open with your children and young people. Just like we ask them how their day was at school and what they got up to it is equally important to have this conversation about their Online lives. If you can keep technology out of the bedrooms and private spaces this is also an effective tool in safeguarding our children.

Here are some more practical steps parents and carers can follow:

Contact their Internet Service Provider (ISP): Companies that provide broadband such as BT, Sky and Virgin, offer free protection for parents and carers. They can filter your internet connection directly, without having to install anything. Guide on how to use this can be found here: https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/

YouTube is a fantastic resource, but not all the content is appropriate for children and not all YouTube channels are made for young audiences. YouTube has an app just for children – YouTube Kids – but many people don't realise that the main YouTube app has a restricted mode. Check out more about how it works here: https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/entertainment-search-engines/youtube-app/

Parental Controls for Devices - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/smartphones-and-other-devices/

Games consoles have features that can limit what games they can play based on the age ratings and can even turn off certain features to allow gaming to be a little safer. To learn more about these features visit https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/gaming-consoles/

Games are also rated based on the content; not how difficult they are. 18 rated games can have very graphic violence, adult language and themes, sexual content, and horror elements. Learn a bit more about appropriate games by visiting https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/gaming-whats-appropriate-for-your-child/  or visit this site for more about game ratings https://parentzone.org.uk/article/pegi-games-ratings-explained

Social Media privacy guide - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/

Have you heard about Tik Tok Family Pairing https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/tiktok-introduces-family-pairing Family pairing allows adults to link their accounts to their teenagers account so you can customise their safety settings such as content, privacy and well being settings.

It's important to remember that no filters or controls are 100% effective so make sure your child knows that they can, and should, talk to someone if they see or hear anything upsetting online so we can offer them some reassurance. This information from Thinkuknow might be useful https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/Im-worried-my-primary-aged-child-might-see-something-inappropriate-online/

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Your online mental wellbeing community

Free, safe and anonymous support

https://www.kooth.com/

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Kooth is your online mental wellbeing community. Access free, safe and anonymous

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https://www.safeguardingresourcehub.co.uk/resource-hub?user_group=3

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Keeping children safe online

We all have a part to play in keeping children safe online. Find out how with our online safety guides.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

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Campaigning for change

We fight to change laws to make society safer for children. Our Wild West Web campaign has pushed for new regulations through the Online Safety Bill to make sure websites, apps and games are safe for children to use. But the draft Bill doesn't go far enough to protect children.
Help us end the Wild West Web

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Understanding online safety is tricky for all ages - we have advice and guides to help you learn about staying safe online as a family.

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Keeping kids safe online

The internet is an amazing place. Kids can play, learn, create and connect. But there are also risks. That’s why we’re here to help

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/online-safety

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https://nationalonlinesafety.com/

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Annual Award in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of Children aged 3-7

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/course/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-3-7

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Annual Award in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of Children aged 7-11

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/course/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-7-11

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Cost of living support

Find out what support is available to help with the cost of living. This includes income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing and travel.

https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living

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Find out what support is available to help with the cost of living: income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing and travel.

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Prevent Radicalisation and Extremism by Acting Early.

https://actearly.uk/

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It's hard for me to write this letter, as there are many things I want to say, to the me that I was back then. I get that you just wanted to belong, I really do. I know how tough it was to feel like an outsider, not to feel like you fitted in anywhere. You felt like life was going nowhere, no one wanted to know a kid with bad grades and a record of bad behaviour. It seems no one really believed in you or saw your potential. Then someone made you feel heard. A friend who felt just the same as you, who really 'got' you. He talked about the reasons things were going wrong, for you, for him, other friends, family. It seemed to make sense. He talked about immigrants, injustice and race. And you listened without questioning. I wish you hadn't. Instead, you started to speak just like him and I wish you hadn't. You met more new friends online who shared the same views as you. And worse. They lied to you John. They made you feel welcome. You didn't realise they were just using you. The dangers of extremism wasn't something you understood, you only began to realise a while later. You felt part of something for the first time in a long time and it felt good. It felt good to be with them, to take part in extremist rallies, to share a voice. It made you feel powerful and gave you a sense of purpose, when before you had nothing and felt you were going nowhere. Your old friends and family didn't understand, they didn't 'get' you. I wish you had pressed pause and looked around to see the hurt and upset you were causing then. Now it's clear how angry you were, and scared. Too scared to choose another path, despite some of the opinions and content not sitting well with you. I wish you had seen how you were beginning not to belong, with those who really did care about you. Who wanted you to lead your best life, not your worst. Back then, you didn't know that you could choose your own path, that you didn't need to follow people you thought had your best interests at heart, but who really were using you for their own agenda. I wish you had realised then, that they didn't speak for you. They don't speak for anyone who wants a better world. You got so far in, you didn't know how to get back out. It was scary I know, to turn your back on those preaching hate, those who are just looking to others to blame for things that go wrong in life. But you did it John. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for taking up the offer of support and the chance to turn your life around. And it was hard. So hard to have your views challenged, to hear some of the facts you had been told by your new 'friends' weren't even true. So hard to no longer belong to a group of people you felt had welcomed you in, online and off. It took time, but you did it and look how far you've come. Now you are supporting other people who want to escape extremism. And you get them, you know the struggle they are going through. You never thought you could change people's lives for the better, but with support you did it and I am proud of the you, that I have now become.

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Act early and tell us your concerns in confidence.

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We're a national health and social care charity. We can help you with challenges including drugs and alcohol, housing, justice, health and wellbeing.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/

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1 in 4 people experience problems with sadness, stress, worry and anxiety. You are not alone.
Call 0303 123 4000
https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/steps2change/home

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IDAS is the largest specialist charity in the North supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

https://idas.org.uk/

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IDAS is the largest specialist charity in the North of England supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

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https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/safeguarding

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Who do I contact if I have a concern about a child or person?

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https://www.nspcc.org.uk/

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https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/safeguarding/report-concern

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Report a safeguarding concern – Lincolnshire County Council

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https://www.childline.org.uk/

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https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/