E-Safety

E-Safety for Parents

At a time where being safe on the internet is more important than ever before, The Fulham Boys School are keen to ensure that the members of our community, are well equipped, educated and able to provide effective support to their children in keeping them safe online.

Any piece of technology – phones, tablets and laptops – have both benefits and risks. Many of the risks depend on how these devices are being used and the apps that are installed.

Some key concerns with children using devices are:

  • Accessing inappropriate content
  • Cyberbullying and harassment from both friends and strangers
  • Over-sharing personal information, such as your name, location or images
  • Behaving inappropriately or unkindly online
  • Unwanted contact from others and strangers
  • Excessive screen time
  • Spending too much money

Parental controls can help you limit potential risks by setting age limits for apps, creating a list of websites that they are allowed to visit or blocking certain websites. On a shared device, you may be able to set up individual child accounts with specific safety features.

Talking with your child about how they are using their devices is an important part of keeping them safe. Open conversations let your child know you are someone they can go to with any questions or worries.

Breck Foundation Information for Parents

The Fulham Boys School was delighted to welcome The Breck Foundation to present to our parents on the 28th April 2022. During this presentation parents were given an insight into how seriously we all need to take eSafety through the tragic story of Breck. A range of information and advice for our parents was provided as part of this presentation. Below this text are a range of thumbnails to useful and helpful websites that parents can use for advice and support with how they can take steps to keep their children safe online. 

The Breck Foundation strongly encourage parents to play an active interest in their children’s online presence and in particular with reference to online gaming. Here is a series of conversation starters that parents can consider using to try and ensure they are involved in their children’s online presence appropriately:

  • What apps/games is everyone using at your school?
  • What’s the social media app of the moment?
  • Have you ever seen anyone scamming or tricking people online? What did you see/hear about?
  • Do you know your limits?
  • How do you know that what you’re reading about is true?
  • What steps do you take to make sure you’re not reposting fake stories?
  • Should we treat people differently online than in the real world? How?
  • How do you know the person you’re chatting with online is who they say they are?
  • Do you think you could tell if someone was scamming/catfishing you? How?
  • I heard about a girl getting tricked into sending nude selfies and then someone shared them without permission. I thought it was really sad. Have you ever heard about that sort of thing?

The Breck Foundation have also provided our parents with a range of information in relation to online grooming that can be found on the Parent Advice Sheet. Not only does this guide provide warning signs that parents should look out for in relation to grooming, but it also provides parents with a range of agencies and organisations they can liaise with if they do ever have concerns.

Childline Internet Matters UK Safer Internet Centre Think U Know
Internet Watch Foundation Child Exploitation and Online Protection N.S.P.C.C Fearless.org
Common Sense Media Family Video Game Database Report Remove Parent Zone
Parental controls offered by your broadband provider

Parental controls are the names for a group of settings that put you in control of what content your child can see. Combined with privacy settings these can help you protect your son from the things they shouldn’t see or experience online.

If you are a customer of one of the UK’s four major internet providers – BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media – you have access to free parental controls that can be activated at any time. They’ve collaborated to create these useful video tips to assist you in downloading and configuring the controls provided by your supplier.

If you click on your internet provider’s logo below, you will be re-directed to Internet Matters full guide for Parental Control of that particular internet provider. Alternatively, if you scroll a little lower, you will find a short video to each internet provider’s Parental Control Guide, also provided by Internet Matters.

BT Parental Controls

BT Parental Controls lets you block particular websites on all devices connected to your BT Smart Hub and when using A BT ID to connect to a UK BT Wi-Fi hotspot. To block material and usage, you can use a variety of filters. BT Parental Controls are a great way to keep your son safe online. Once activated, all devices connected to your BT Hub will have content filtered to a restriction level you have set.

BT Broadband

Sky Broadband Parental Controls

Sky Broadband Buddy lets you control over what everyone in your home can see and what they can’t when online. It lets you manage each screen in your home from an app on your phone or tablet, and works like a remote for the internet. This has many features to help filter content for everyone in the family so they see only what they should.

Sky Broadband

TALK TALK Parental controls

Talk Talk Parental controls have a free level of security and filtering for its broadband customers called HOMESAFE. This feature, which is designed to filter out suspicious websites and inappropriate content, also warns you if a website you are about to visit contains a virus or malware. HOMESAFE is a set of rules and filters which will apply to all content accessed via your home broadband connection.

Talk Talk

Virgin Parental Controls

Virgin media websafe is the standard internet security product that comes with all of Virgin’s broadband packages. It helps to protect any device that’s connected to your home broadband network. Customisable settings let you choose the level of protection that’s right for your home, so you can easily block access to known fraudulent websites of those that aren’t suitable for your children

Virgin Media

Parental controls offered by search engines

With most entertainment content such as films, TV programmes, and games now being accessed over the internet, children are now able to watch content wherever and whenever they’re online. To make sure they don’t stumble across things they shouldn’t, you can use our parental control guides to set the right controls on their sites and apps to keep them safe. You will be able to filter out certain types of search results on search engines like Bing, Google, Safari, and Yahoo. This means you can limit your son’s exposure to adult content such as pornography, or limit the amount of time they spend online. You’ll find the options for each provider by looking for the cogwheel “settings” sign. You can also urge your son to use more secure search engines, such as Google.

Both Bing and Google SafeSearch can help you block inappropriate or explicit images from your search results. The SafeSearch filter isn’t 100% accurate, but it helps you avoid the most violent and adult content.

Setting up mobile device restrictions

Apple devices

Apple devices allow you to enable ‘Screen Time’ on your son’s phone and password-protect the settings so they can’t change them.

You can also manage the settings remotely by setting up Family Sharing. We recommend using the features together with your son to work on using screens intentionally and mindfully, and help your son learn to regulate their own use when you’re not around to do it for them.

Google and Android devices

Google devices allow you to enable ‘Digital Wellbeing & Parental control’ settings on your son’s phone. Unfortunately they are not password-protected. If you want to have more control over your son’s phone, you can use Google’s Family Link parental-control app, which allows remote monitoring.

Other devices

Safety features can be monitored through your internet provider, your internet browser or directly through built-in device settings. Most desktop computers, laptops and tablets have their own Parental Control settings which can be used to protect your son.

Microsoft Family Safety enables you to link multiple devices into a ‘device family’. This allows you to remotely manage Parental controls on a device.

Streaming services

Streaming services have their own built-in Parental controls to allow you to protect your son from age-specific or inappropriate viewing content.

Games consoles

Games consoles have their own built-in Parental controls to allow you to protect your son from gaming with strangers.

Internet Safety - Apps

Due to the emergence of social media and technology, there are new apps and trends appearing every day. Although it may be difficult to be aware of every app and its function, the information below will provide you with a detailed overview of the most popular apps amongst young people and importantly, how to remain safe when using them.

List of most used current apps for young people

Information on a wide range of the most popular applications currently used by young people on their devices. The website below provides age limits and safety ratings for social media apps used by young people.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a really useful way to keep in touch with family and friends across the world. Unfortunately WhatsApp like many other social media apps and online forums can be misused and can be used in cyberbullying and the sharing of inappropriate images. WhatsApp have both adjustable privacy settings and parental controls to help support you in keeping your son safe.

Age limits on apps and social media platforms

Most legal age limits for the use of social media is 13 years old in the UK. Please see this link below to more information:

However, it is important to note that the age restrictions are often higher throughout gaming platforms. For example, the age limit to use XBox Live without parental consent is 18 years old.

App restrictions and monitoring

Apple/IOS app restrictions

Apple provide advice on the following:

  • Setting up screen time for the family.
  • Content and privacy restriction: parents are able to block inappropriate content.
  • Always allowed: Parents can choose apps they want to be used at all times.
  • Communication limits: parents can set limits based on their childs contacts.
  • App limits: Parents are able to set limits for certain apps ad even prevent their child from using certain apps.
  • Prevent app store purchases: Parents are able to prevent app store purchases.

Google/Android app restrictions

Google provide advice on the following:

  • How to block apps that your son may want to download
  • Manage in-app purchases
  • Hide apps on your son’s specific device

Internet Privacy: Apps to Protect Your Son From Their Apps 

Spyrix Free Keylogger (Free) 

  • Provides access to view all running applications, including games and iTunes
  • Records the date and time of activity across devices

  Spyrix website

 App Locker: passwords for your apps (Apple, £10)

  • An app that allows you to password-protect individual applications 
  • Applicable with Touch/Face ID and recognition 
  • Access the history of when certain apps have been used
  • Able to block app access to certain family members/children

App Locker website

Open DNS Family Shield 

  • Offers free blocking of inappropriate content across apps and websites
  • For £15 a year, it is possible to track and protect all of your children’s devices.

 Open DNS website                  

Kapersky Safe Kids                                                                                                       

  • Allows parents to manage screen time across a variety of devices 
  • Produces reports and statistics of what apps have been used and when 
  • Allows to monitor your son’s app settings 
  • Blocks bad YouTube suggestions and searches
  • Gives real-time access to inappropriate sites and provides a leave ‘safe area’

Kapersky Safe Kids website 

Hidden Apps: How can apps be hidden and what apps are hidden? 

It is possible to hide apps within a device and quite often young people may do this to either hide certain apps or information. There area also a wide variety of apps available that appear as an innocent app but in fact, are hidden and are able to hide certain information such as pictures and videos. Please see an example below:

Calculator Vault 

  • The app is hidden as a normal calculator, with a password locking personal information.
  • The app is able to store pictures and videos but use a calculator mode to trick users
  • It looks exactly the same as a normal calculator app

E-Safety for Students

At The Fulham Boys School we take all aspects of e-safety very seriously.

This includes the filtering and monitoring of all internet access and email through the school’s network, guiding and advising students through PHSE and ICT, warning them of the potential risks and dangers of all aspects of electronic communication and providing a source of support in the event that things become threatening or undermine a young person’s well being. This includes support and guidance for individuals, sanctions and parental meetings and, when necessary, police involvement. 

Technology is part of our everyday lives and can be a great way to discover new things, be creative and connect with people. Whilst it can be an incredibly valuable learning tool, the internet can also be a dangerous place so it is important to know how to keep yourself safe while you’re online.

There are a number of excellent sources of information on the web. If you want to do a little research of your own have a look at these sites:

Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying is any form of bullying which takes place online or through smartphones and tablets via the internet. It can be just as hurtful and upsetting as bullying in person, and in some ways worse because the bully can make contact, even when the victim is at home meaning they can never really get away from the harassment.

There are things you can do to protect yourself though.

  • Make sure you understand the privacy settings on your social media accounts and set them so only people you allow can see your personal information.
  • Do not accept ‘friend requests’ from people that you don’t know.
  • Don’t meet up with people you meet on the internet through social media sites.
  • Never send out your password or personal details to anyone, even if you think you know them because you’ve been chatting online.

What do you do if you are being sent upsetting content and messages?

  • Tell someone! We can’t do anything if we don’t know it’s happening so tell your parents, or form tutor or any member of staff at school.
  • It’s much easier to take action if we have evidence so keep any evidence by saving/storing/screen printing it.
  • Be e-safety smart – use the links below to learn more about e-safety.

Digizen – Information and advice to encourage responsible digital citizenship.

NSPCC and Safer Internet – Information and advice on staying safe online.

Online Safety Alliance – Information and advice on staying safe when using Social Media

CEOP – If you are worried about cyberbullying you can send a report to CEOP – The Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre

The Fulham Boys School actively promotes e-safety and the prevention of cyberbullying through ICT lessons, PSHCE lessons and assemblies. School ICT systems include robust network filtering to ensure only appropriate content is accessible.