Safer Internet day 2021

Tuesday 9th February has been designated as Safer Internet Day 2021. The main goal of Safer Internet Day is to raise awareness and start a conversation about internet safety. Given that over the last number of weeks all of our pupils have been working remotely, there is a greater reliance on online activities and the message this year seems more important because of that fact.

The internet can be a brilliant tool and the theme for this year, Safe Internet Day 2021, is “Together for a better internet,” with an aim to explore reliability online. The internet has an amazing range of information and opportunities online, but how do we separate fact from fiction?                                             

The online world is a great source of information for young people and adults alike, and opportunities to research, learn new facts or skills, and even broaden viewpoints are extremely important to all internet users. The internet is also an important way for young people to build positive relationships - to play, interact and share their lives with their peers. As they navigate these social spaces, they are constantly making decisions about who and what to trust online in the context of playing games together and socialising online. Safer Internet Day gives young people the chance to build the skills they need to be able to make the best decisions as they navigate an online world where everything is not always as it seems.

We encourage you all to help and have conversations with your children to discuss about what to look out for and what to do if they encounter something they aren't sure about. What happens online doesn't stay there. It affects who we are and how we act in real life too. Learning while they're younger is a perfect way to empower children to develop the ability to think critically about how they use the internet, and that's a skill that will last for their whole lives!

Staying safe on the internet is a vital part of modern technology use. Here are our some top tips for aiding you and your children in this process:

• Monitor your child’s internet use and keep a track of their browser history.
• Make sure you choose strong passwords for your secure information.
• Keep your privacy settings high to ensure your security.
• Ensure you're up to date with all the latest security software. 
• Remember to be as vigilant on your mobile as your desktop or laptop. 
• Don't click on links you don't trust.

For further advice visit the parent section of the Safer Internet Day web site at https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers

Here you will find some resources and a video exploring what we can trust on the internet as part of our Safer Internet Day 2021 campaign. 

This video can be a great way of furthering the discussions and when watching think about the questions, as it explores the issues of, what can we trust or not trust? How do we know? https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2021/i-am-educator/safer-internet-day-films/films-5-11-year

I also would direct you to the virtual assemblies available and encourage you to make time to watch this with your child. For pupils from P4/5/6/7 it is recommended to watch https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2021/i-am-educator/work-7-11s/virtual-assembly-7-11s  and for P1/2/3 Detective Digiduck on link https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/detective-digiduck-virtual-assembly-3-7s

Together we will aim to make the internet a more enjoyable and safer place for our children.