Help and Support for Parents and Carers
Christmas! Which for many children and young people has meant new video games and game consoles for Christmas. Gaming is booming this year thanks to Covid lockdowns and with both PlayStation and Xbox releasing new consoles and we expect many excited children will be looking forward to playing with their new consoles and games on Christmas day. Along with all that fun and excitement however can come a few risks which is why we think it’s a good idea that parents and carers set up the console’s before gifting them with a child’s account and parental controls. With that in mind we have put together some handy links for families on setting parental controls and creating a child’s account on a new console.
Link to information on how to set up child account and parental controls on all Xbox consoles –
https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/community/for-everyone/responsible-gaming
Link for the new Xbox app which lets you control your child’s Xbox via your own mobile phone. You can set time limits and set age restrictions –
https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/apps/family-settings-app
Link to information on how to set parental controls on PlayStation consoles –
https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/support/account/ps4-parental-controls-and-spending-limits/
Follow the link and download the Nintendo Switch parental control app and set time limits and age restrictions via your own mobile phone-
Our personal favourite site for setting parental controls on all things tech related from game’s consoles to mobile phones and tablets with easy to follow step by step picture guides – https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/
Or visit our own website that contains all of the above links and more internet safety related information for professionals, families and young people. –
Being Kind Online
What parents need to know about Playstation 5
What Parents need to know about Call of Duty Black Ops
Darlington Internet Safety Partnership
With families having to stay inside, technology will be used more to help pass the time. Whilst technology has its benefits, it can also be cause friction within a household. DISP have lots of information in the Apps and Games Information, Parents and Carers and Useful Links sections of our website. We have also made a SURVIVAL GUIDE [word document] to help through this difficult time. Please access information and support from the link below:
BRAND NEW National Online Safety Mobile App It’s time to get #OnlineSafetySavvy.
A Parents guide to being social online
thinkuknow have produced a helpful guide for parents and carers. Lots of information on online playing and socialising.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/parents-guide-being-social-online/
Is Santa bringing a new XBOX
To all parents and carers who may be looking at the new XBOX as a Christmas present for their child, please look at this advice on parental controls. Check out www.darlington.gov.uk Search the Darlington Internet Safety Partnership for lots of helpful advice.
Ever find yourself spending too much time scrolling
#WakeUpWednesday this week is all about Persuasive Design. From addiction to notifications to limitless scrolling.
Check out https://nationalonlinesafety.com
Lets talk about life online!
Childnet have produced an excellent ‘Our Parents’ and Carers’ guide and has examples of questions you can use to start conversations around safe and positive internet use.
Check it out at https://www.childnet.com
https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/online-gaming-advice/
Support for parents and carers to keep children safe online
Options for reporting or talking through online problems:
CEOP
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is dedicated to eradicating the sexual abuse of children. It is part of UK policing and very much about tracking and bringing offenders to account either directly or in partnership with local and international forces. Anybody with concerns that a pupil is being groomed or sexually exploited, including involvement in Sexting, should contact them directly using the link below. I would strongly recommend that if possible, you also contact Mr Lindsay or any member of the Safeguarding team here at Hurworth as we may need to make additional referrals to Children’s Services.
www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre
Childline Instant Help
The link provided below will take you to the Childline website where you can click the explore button to find out more about topics such as Cyber Bullying and Online and Mobile Safety. More importantly if you click on the 1 to 1 Chat Online link you can contact a Childline counsellor in a 1 to 1 online chat (like instant messenger) about any online problems. Childline state that no problem is too big or too small.
ThinkUKnow
Here you can find the latest information on websites, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. If you look after young people, there’s an area for you too with resources you can use at home or just to get yourself up to speed with the latest developments. Most importantly, there’s also a place which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online.
Here you can find a parents/carers guide to safely stream online and share images.
Delivering Online Safety at Home
Internet Watch Foundation
If you have inadvertently stumbled across potentially illegal online content, specifically images of child sexual abuse, criminally obscene material or anything that incites racial hatred then please submit a report to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The IWF works in partnership with the police, government, the online industry and the public to combat this type of material and you are helping to make the internet safer for all by taking this action.
Options for finding information about online safety guidance:
All the websites listed above have both reporting tools and sections of information and advice relating to e-safety. In addition to these you may find the following useful:
The Twitter feed from the CEOP website has many tweets with up to date information about online safety. It covers the type of current activity taking place not only across the UK but also specifically what is happening regionally.
Get Safe Online
Get Safe Online is the UK’s leading source of unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety.