Internet Safety

A Guide to Online Safety and Gaming

As a new generation of young people arrive onto using multiplayer games and the internet in general this new year, it is more important than ever to make your chidlren aware of how to stay safe online. The SWGfL has published a pamphlet on how to best keep safe whilst using online software and games. With advice on reporting and blocking, online socialisation and the considerations on online gaming, the pamphlet can be a useful resource for anyone looking into this topic. You can find a link to the resource below:

https://swgfl.org.uk/assets/documents/online-safety-and-gaming.pdf

Understanding the Playground - Fortnite

Since its release 2017, the battle-royale simulator – Fortnite, has become ubiquitous in children's lives throughout the world. The game, which features cartoonish renderings of characters, bright colours and non-visceral consequence free violence, has had a mass appeal to children. As a result, more children than ever are exposed to multi-player chatting with strangers, and financial exploitation via the game’s spend-to-gain-advantage operating style. Allowing children to use real world money to gain perks and costumes. From criminal blackmailing, to the coercion of nude exchanges by online ‘friends’ posing as children, the danger this game presents from a safeguarding perspective is clear. As an added complication, the verbiage surrounding the game used by pupils is near-incomprehensible, frustrating adepts to secure their safety. Fortunately to allow for greater comprehension of reports to staff involving the game, Internetmatters.org has published a guide to understanding the game and its terms. You can find the link below:

https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/guidance/fortnite-battle-royal-parents-guide-keep-kids-safe-gaming