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Current alerts

 

Here we will endeavour to post any current alerts regarding online safety which have been raised within the news, you can also check these websites:

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/

 

Parental Online Safety Advice

 Check out this link to the National Online Safety website which publish information guides every Wednesday on everything from understanding Fortnite to protecting your children when playing on their Nintendo Switch. Easy step by step guides are available to explain how to add parental controls to your child's devices as well as the risks you need to be aware of when your child is accessing current games / apps.

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/

 

NSPCC Online Safety Advice Line

Is your birthday or Christmas gift a new device?

Many children wish to be receiving or upgrading to new phones, tablets and games consoles. Whatever device your child has, we have lots of advice and tools to help you make sure it’s safe for them to use.

Talking to your children is one of the most important things you can do to help keep them safe online. You can find some of our conversation starters here, and information on further support below.

Call the free O2 NSPCC Online Safety Advice Line

For any information or questions about apps, sites, games, or about online safety in general, call us on 0808 800 5002.

Open Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm.

 

Parental Controls

Setting up parental controls is an easy way to help keep your child safe on a new device. They can:

  • Block upsetting or inappropriate content
  • Limit in-app purchases
  • Manage which apps children are allowed to download

You can set up parental controls on individual devices and on your home WiFi, depending on your provider. 

We would also recommend turning on privacy settings and making sure location sharing is ‘off’ on each device and app that your child uses.

 

School Holiday Online Safety Support.

School’s out – but what apps, sites and games are in?

School holidays can be the perfect time to relax, sunbathe and spend time with family. However, for many of us, we’ll turn to our phones and devices for entertainment or distraction. This is especially true for children and young people, who may spend more time online over the holidays.

Follow our Share Aware TEAM tips

  • Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let your child know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen. Sign up to our icebreaker email series and get top tips for great conversations sent straight to your inbox.
  • Explore sites and apps together with your child. Understand why they like using them and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe, including what personal information they should not share online. Learn more about the most popular apps on Net Aware.
  • Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games. This will help your children to understand what is okay and what is not okay when they’re online. You can use our Family Online Agreement template to help you get started.
  • Manage your technology by using parental controls to block upsetting or inappropriate content.  

                            TEAM

Fortnite: all you need to know

The multiplayer action survival game, Fortnite: Battle Royale, has received a lot of media coverage recently due to growing popularity amongst children – and also emerging safety concerns. We’ve pulled together some information about the game and how to keep your children safe while playing it.

Players can currently play Fortnite: Battle Royale on a PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation or download it from the App Store. Use of the game has grown rapidly amongst children and young people since the launch of the mobile game in March 2018. As of 2nd May, the app version is only available on iOS but an Android release is expected shortly. The game involves 100 players fighting each other in real time to be the final survivor. 

What features and risks are there on Fortnite?

Fortnite: Battle Royale has several features that can be fun, but there are also risks. These include:

 

  • Players can add friends in the mobile game if they have an account with Epic, the game’s developer. Friends can be added by username in the game’s main menu.
  • There is a chat feature in the game that allows users to contact each other using voice or text. You can disable voice chat in the game by selecting the 3 lines in the top right of the screen, select the settings icon, choose the ‘Audio’ tab at the top of the screen and go to the ‘Voice Chat’ option, where you can select ‘Off’. 
  • There is cartoon violence in the game. You can use a variety of weapons to kill other players, such as guns and axes. 
  • There are in-app purchases, which can become expensive. 
  • Players can be reported to the Player Support team if you are concerned about activity or behaviour.

Age ratings

Here are the recommended age ratings for the game:

 

  • Epic Games: Fortnite Battle Royale says it does not direct the game to children under the age of 13 in the UK. 
  • The PEGI rating for this game is 12 years old. However, PEGI does not take chat features into consideration when rating games. You can find out more about age ratings here.
  • The App Store says that users must be 12+ to play. 

Follow our TEAM tips to help keep your child safe online when playing online games:

 

  • Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen. You can use our conversation starters to support you when starting these conversations. 
  • Explore your child’s online activities with your child. Understand why they like using them and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe.
  • Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games. You can use our Family Agreement template to help you get started.
  • Manage your technology and use the settings available to keep your child safe.