Staying Safe Online - April 2022

Staying Safe Online

Online Gaming

gaming

Children can get great pleasure from playing games online, however the popularity of gaming has raised a number of concerns from parents, such as children being able to communicate with strangers or becoming the target of bullying. There are worries that video game content and over exposure to violence may have a damaging effect on the development and socialisation of young people. Gaming addiction is also a concern due to the length of time children are spending playing online games.

Children also agree that there are negative aspects to playing online. They say that they can feel frustrated or can be teased and bullied and that they notice a difference in friends’ behaviour when playing online games, due to the privacy of headsets and a perceived lack of consequences for teasing or bullying online.

Children also acknowledge the risks from strangers online – for example, the risk of being scammed for their personal information. Children often form friendships with online strangers, despite being aware that forming these sorts of connections with strangers online could be harmful.

It is therefore important that children are mindful of who can interact with them via online games. In many games, players do not necessarily know who they are playing with, due to identities being hidden by a computer screen. Online players may pretend to be other children of a similar age, but this can be difficult to validate. Remember many games have ‘online chat facility’ which allows children to have conversations with strangers online, posing a potential danger to their safety.

Make sure children know how to set up their privacy settings correctly, and to keep devices in shared spaces so a child’s activity can be monitored. Finally encourage them to play sound through speakers and not through gaming headsets so that conversations can be heard. For step by step guides on how to set up privacy settings, click here.


Oversharing Personal Information

megaphone

For some reason, when we are online, we are all far too trusting with our personal information and we can all be guilty of sharing too much information about ourselves with others.

This obviously has the potential of putting us at risk, so it is vitally important to be mindful of what is personal information and what should and shouldn't be shared online.

Many apps and sites encourage us to share information, pictures or videos and whilst this can be fun to do, it can also pose many dangers, as you can never be sure of who has seen it, screenshotted it or re-shared it elsewhere.

Remember, personal information is just that - it's personal. You wouldn't disclose your name and address to stranger in the street or you wouldn't show a stranger a photograph or your child, however online, this happens all the time.

For further information on oversharing, click here.   


Radicalisation and the internet

radicalisation

We are all using the internet more than ever before and so it’s increasingly important to know what to look out for and how to protect our loved ones online.

UK adults are now spending up to a quarter of their waking hours online with 18-24 year olds spending the most time, averaging 5 hours and 4 minutes a day.

The internet has opened up many new opportunities in communication, entertainment and knowledge. But it’s also given extremists the means to target, connect and communicate with people vulnerable to radicalisation.

Exposure to extremist content and groups online can lead them down a dangerous path. If you’re concerned someone close might be being targeted, then act early and share your concerns so the person can get the support they need.

For more information visit the ActEarly webpages.


Digital Ambassadors

ambassador

West Sussex County Council, in partnership with Get Safe Online, have been looking for volunteers from across the county to help educate and support residents to become safer online. We have been overwhelmed by the amount of interest we have received and the vast amount of experience and skills that people have to offer. After a second recruitment drive, we have received over 150 emails expressing interest in becoming a Digital Ambassador and to support us in spreading awareness regarding online safety. We are pleased to say that we now have 19 volunteers signed up as Digital Ambassadors with an additional 3 yet to complete our next round of training. We thank all those that have emailed us their interest and we cannot wait to support our Digital Ambassadors in educating residents of West Sussex about online safety. 

If you are interested in becoming a Digital Ambassador and want to know more about the scheme, please email us at: communitysafety.wellbeing@westsussex.gov.uk.


fb

Are you Following us on Twitter and Facebook?

For the latest information about all things online safety, and for information about local events and campaigns, follow us!

@WSxSafeOnline

To subscribe to the Community Safety and Wellbeing Team's E-newsletter, please click here 


holiday

footer