Submitted by: Stella James
Educating children about how to stay safe online is vitally important for single Hampshire mum Stella James, the driving force behind Gooseberry Planet, an engaging App designed to help 9-14 year olds to learn through safe digital gaming. Here she provides ten-top-tips for staying safe online.
1. Don’t post any personal information online like your address, email address or mobile number.
2. Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself. Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online most people can see it and may be able to download it, it’s not just yours anymore.
3. Keep your privacy settings as high as possible.
4. Never give out your passwords.
5. Don’t befriend people you don’t know.
6. Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to a parent or carer about people suggesting you do.
7. Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are.
8. Think carefully about what you say before you post something online.
9. Respect other people’s views, even if you dont agree with someone else’s views doesn’t mean you need to be rude.
10. If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website, turn off your computer if you want to and tell a trusted adult immediately.
While these are all grounded in common sense they are constantly ignored, explained Stella. Bullying, sexting, grooming and many other dangers are rife on the internet but worryingly many parents and carers are still not in tune with the current dangers or how to best protect family and friends. You cannot always be looking over their shoulder and it’s not just about monitoring what they do; rather helping children learn how to identify the dangers and so avoid them.
Even simple steps like checking the privacy setting on Facebook is so important but all too often overlooked. We wouldn’t let a child play on the street if they didn’t understand the dangers of cars but we are all too happy to let them pick up a digital device and often and quite easily interact with total strangers.
Back in late 2013 Stella couldn’t find any engaging tools her kids would want to use to learn about online safety so started to visualise and develop Gooseberry Planet which in now going down a storm with kids, parents and teachers alike. The engaging budget app for PCs, tablets and smartphones, informs 9 – 14 year olds about online dangers and teaches them to recognise the risks and so keep themselves safe. Available for download in four instructive and interactive tiers it also includes a parent app about how best to develop discussions. There are also absolutely no in?game purchases another worrying trend for parents.
Stella concluded: Young people now have so much access to the internet and they share so much information online. Encouragingly schools are now increasingly promoting internet safety, but often the information goes in one ear and straight out the other. Gooseberry Planet lets children learn in a fun and safe way while at the same time develop their own judgment skills about keeping safe online plus know how to get help if they need it and is proving to be a winner.
Notes to Editors on Children using Social Sites
1 in 20 – 5-7 year olds; 1 in 5 8-11 year olds; and 7 in 10 12-15 year olds who go online have a social network profile.
50% of all 11 and 12 year-olds in the UK use a social networking site, according to NSPCC research as it’s easy for children to access sites intended for older users and almost a quarter experienced something that upset them in the last year.
Many social networks have a minimum age of 13 (because of laws governing their use in the USA, where the majority are based), however, some parents think it’s Okay for their 11-year-old to use a site aimed at over 13s, but it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s not just that site’s content you need to think about.
Social networking accounts can also be used to access a range of other sites just think of all the websites that invite you to ‘Sign in using Facebook or Twitter’.
The most popular social networks for 11-16 year olds are currently Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, however, Apps like Snapchat and Instagram are becoming more popular -it changes all the time, depending on the latest innovations and trends. But how familiar are you with these platforms or their privacy and security settings
A quarter of 13-18 year olds said they had sent an image or video of themselves to someone else according to a survey by ChildLine; 60% said they had been asked for a sexual image or video of themselves; 40% said they had created an image or video of themselves.
For more online safety information visit www.GooseberryPlanet.com for invaluable advice on staying safe online and to download the app which addresses issues including email, stranger danger, webcams and also practical advice on why and how to block people, sites and applications. Also see www.nspcc.org.uk/shareaware
About the Author: Stella James has previously worked in the radio industry as a marketeer, and she also ran her own business for ten years. She is now launching Gooseberry Planet App because she believes so passionately in helping children stay safe online. Download the Gooseberry App and Game to teaching internet safety to kids. For more online safety information visit
gooseberryplanet.com
Source:
isnare.com
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