Safer Internet Day 2022
Safer Internet Day 2022 is on the 8th of February and will be celebrated with the theme ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’.
Safer Internet Day 2022 celebrates young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that is whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers.
Speaking with young people is key to exploring their experiences on platforms where they can play games, interact with their peers and others, and take part in ‘live’ experiences such as video streaming. These platforms play such an important and positive role, providing young people with the means to interact with friends and as a great pastime, particularly during lockdowns.
However, there are some emerging safety issues in these spaces as well as issues young people have been navigating for some time; particularly the lack of respect individuals display towards each other, groups ‘ganging up’ against other groups, and the sense that it is easy to ‘get away’ with negative behaviour such as meanness, bullying and swearing. They speak about hate directed at particular groups, particularly LGBT+ users, and misogyny on gaming platforms. They tell us the apparent lack of consequences for negative behaviour has an impact on their safety and wellbeing.
We need to address these issues so that all young people understand what constitutes respectful behaviour online, and know what to do if they encounter hate or bullying directed at them or someone else.
As a school, we have planned activities for students in their ICT lessons. There is also a lot of guides, resources and advice on the UK Safer Internet Centre to help keep your child safe online. This can be accessed using the following link:
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s safety online, or need any advice, please do not hesitate to contact school where staff will be able to help you.
Roy Bellmon
Deputy Headteacher – Curriculum and Safeguarding Lead
