Our vision is to make the children at Taughmonagh Primary School as safe and productive in the online world, both in school and outside of school, as they are in the real world, with particular focus on protection against grooming, cyberbullying and becoming a positive E-Citizen.

At home, sometimes children can be given unsupervised access to the internet. This, potentially, allows them to access all kinds of society (both good and bad) and bring them virtually into their homes. Most sites likes Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Youtube, Snapchat etc – have a minimum age limit of 13, which means that out pupils should NOT be using them.

Here are some tips to help keep your child safe online:

• Talk to them about E-Safety, establish rules and encourage them to talk to you if they are upset by the language, pictures, words or anything that they come across while using the internet.
• Ensure you know what your child can access online – use parental controls to keep your child safe.
• Ensure your child understands the importance of not giving personal information to anyone they do not know.
• Tell your child that no-one has the right to make them do anything they do not want to do.

Remember!

It is YOUR responsibility to be aware of what your child is doing online and who they are communicating with.

The Safer Schools NI App is a brilliant app for all pupils, parents & teachers provided by the Department for education. As a school community we encourage our Govenors, staff, parents and P6 & P7 pupils to download. It sends daily safeguarding updates based on trending apps, websites and games. It provides short videos explaining the dangers of some social media platforms e.g. Tik-Tok.

Download the app. Sign up with your email. Use the QR code and access code below to gain access.

One useful website which helps provides independent reviews, age ratings, & other information about all types of media is Common Sense Media. You can enter the age of your child and the site will recommend safe and appropriate suggestions for films, games, apps, books, websites and TV shows. You can register your details and add in the age of all of your children if you wish. It is an excellent website, which reviews the latest media and helps you to keep up with the ever changing online/media world.

Click here to visit Common Sense Media.

Some links to more information:

• Think U Know: Containing internet safety advice for those aged 5-16, along with parents and teachers, this site is produced by CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre).
• Know IT All: Lots of useful advice for keeping yourselves and your children safe on the internet.
• NIABF: The Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying form has lots of useful advice and resources on keeping children safe online.
• NI Safer Schools: New website for the Safer Schools app providing up to date information about new trends in the online world.
• Childline: ChildLine is the free helpline for children and young people in the UK.