Please find here some information about keeping your children safe online. You may think that your child is too young for you to be thinking about him / her using social networks and the internet, however the experts want to reach parents of children who are four years of age and upwards. We are all aware that the internet can be a hugely beneficial resource for children as learners but, equally, we know there have been worrying outcomes when parents have been unaware of their child's contacts on internet sites. We have an Online Safety Champion, Miss Lucas, who is available to offer guidance to further help, please contact her via the school office. Our Designated Safeguarding Leaders are also trained in all aspects of online safety.
February 2023
Safer Internet Day
Tuesday 7th February was Safer Internet Day and during the week, all classes took part in activities on the theme of “Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online.” One common theme was that many children are playing Roblox and this then became a conversation about age limits. There is no official age limit for the game and we discovered many of you are playing the game with your child or you have parental settings set up to control the content your children can access.
There are 3 things that most of the online safety advice websites say parents need to be aware of when their children are using Roblox
Communication: how Roblox can be used to communicate with other users
Whilst the games are aimed at 8-18 year olds, there are no age restrictions. This means both adults and young people can play and communicate with each other on the platform.
All games are multiplayer and include a written chat feature, which is visible to players within each individual game. Users can also make and receive friend requests during gameplay and this means that they can chat to each other outside of the game.
Content: what content is available on Roblox that might not be suitable for children
The Roblox Studio is a section where players use their imagination and skills to create their own games and share these with others. The ability to create and play games can be very appealing to young people who like to create the content they see online.
However, because content is user-generated it can mean that some games might not be appropriate for young children. For example, whilst the graphics are not very life like, some of the games feature weapons and blood.
Costs: what ways children might accidentally run up costs while using Roblox
Although Roblox is a free game to play, children are incentivised to make purchases in the game with real money. Children can purchase Robux for cash which is then spent on equipment and outfits in the games.
If you require any further support please contact our Online Safety Champion, Miss Lucas via the school office, or look at our online safety area on the website.
Huggy Wuggy and Poppy Playtime
We have become aware that children are playing games related to the online games of Huggy Wuggy and Poppy Playtime, both of these titles appear very innocent however the content is not suitable for children. You may have blocked these games however; there is a great deal of related content, often produced by fans, that is available on platforms such as Tik Tok and YouTube. The characters have child friendly names but they all have a visually disturbing or upsetting aspect to them eg Huggy Wuggy looks like a blue cuddly teddy with a wide smile but when he opens his mouth he has razor sharp teeth and says he will eat them. This can lead to children being visually disturbed and upset. We feel any games related to these sites are inappropriate. If you require further support in any Online Safety matters please contact Miss Lucas our Online Safety Champion via the office.
Please click on the following link for further information regarding Huggy Wuggy. https://saferschoolsni.co.uk/huggy-wuggy-online-safety-review/
Please click here to see the Coastal Learning Partnership's IT and Communications System Policy.
Safer Internet Centre has some resources available in a variety of languages.