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Taking on the cyberbullies How to battle schools’ biggest child e-safety worries
ONLINE SAFETY Skippers Hill pupils
SCHOOLS in the Tunbridge Wells area are doing more to protect children from increasing perils on the internet. In the final part of our e-safety series, Sarah Bond talks to children’s charity Childnet… ALARM about bullying – cyber and real – is increasing, and it has a major effect on selfesteem and studies. “Cyberbullying is the number one issue schools are concerned about,” said Will Gardner, who runs Childnet International. “It’s a hot topic for all schools.” UK statistics from anti-bullying charity ditchthelabel.org reveal that 45 per cent of young people experience bullying before the age of 18, 26 per cent of those have experienced it every day and 39 per cent of children have never told anyone they are being bullied. A significant number were bullied for disability, appearance, body shape, homophobia, racism or other discrimination, while 61 per cent of all victims reported being physically attacked. And of course bullying can lead to self-harming or worse. But while Childnet International reveals that 30 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds experienced ‘someone being mean’ online in the last year, three in four believed young people have the power to create a kinder online community. Childnet, which helped launch the annual Safer Internet Day (SiD) four years ago, is helping schools promote e-safety. SiD had 865 registered supporters this year including 511 schools. And many more took part who did not register, including Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar (TWGGS), Hugh Christie Technology College and Hilden Oaks School, Tonbridge. This year there were 250,000 downloads of the SiD packs for schools, a ‘huge rise’ on last year, and Childnet is urging schools to start planning for next year’s event, February 9, 2016.
Childnet representatives have visited TWGGS and Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School in the last year. Jane Parkinson, who is in charge of e-safety and child protection at TWGGS said the school also took part in this year’s SiD. She said: “We published information on the intranet, had assemblies with relevant information and videos for pupils and covered material in PSHE. “I talked about safe use of the internet in assembly and we put posters around the school and emailed parents with helpful information. “We aim to educate our pupils on how to use the internet safely, and we find it very useful to involve parents so we can work together. “We will definitely take part in SiD next year. We continue to emphasise the importance of e-safety throughout the year with staff, pupils and parents.” Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School, near Mayfield, also had a visit from Childnet last month. Deputy head Mark Hammond said: “On March 23, Skippers held a whole day of workshops for the children on internet safety. This was followed by a presentation for parents by Childnet. It was a huge success. The teachers learned a great deal about the children’s online lives and how to support them in staying safe. “The children were very open about their experiences and gained a greater understanding of the potential risks. They certainly felt better equipped to manage their digital profile. “The parents who attended the presentation left with a similar
understanding, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “At a time when technology is evolving rapidly, it is essential that parents, teachers and children communicate about their online experiences.” Mr Gardner, a father of five, is delighted at how successful SiD is becoming. He said: “It has got bigger and bigger, and we want to really try and make this a regular fixture, and get more and more organisations involved because this issue affects everybody. Then the effect of different information about the day from different places will inspire and hopefully encourage conversations. “Our work is very much focused on education, and it is important we make sure children understand that if they come across something that makes them feel uncomfortable on the internet – including pornography – the message is to tell someone.” Mr Gardner says many children are actually teaching their parents how to use social media, and about online safety. He said: “When I started at Childnet in 2000, children were using chatrooms and parents didn’t know what they were. But now, with social media, there is the opportunity for parents and children to learn from each other. That can also get that conversation going. Then, if a child does get into difficulty, it makes it easier for them to talk to their parents about it. “The online scene is ever-changing. In 2000, we were talking about grooming, then cyberbullying became more of an issue, and with social networking we had young people sharing information publicly about themselves in a different way. “Then we had sexting, and now radicalisation and extremism are things we are having to look at, too. We are working with government departments, councils and relevant people to see what we can do, we’ve put a blog on our website in the interim. “It’s about not trusting everything you see or everyone you talk to online. We know children have gone to meet strangers and been hurt. “But when we go into schools we try to carry a positive message. The last thing we want to do is scare children so they don’t enjoy time online.” But bullying remains a major issue. Mr Gardner said: “I think cyberbullying has overtaken face to face bullying. But you can’t separate the two entirely because it might be that face to face bullying moves online. It’s also worth being aware that sometimes these things happen unintentionally. “The picture is complicated. Clearly we want to try and encourage all young people to be good digital citizens. But if you paint too scary a picture, parents might mistakenly think ‘Well, this doesn’t apply to my children’. “We are going to update the cyberbullying guidance for next year’s SiD and are soon to launch a programme to encourage pupils to become digital champions. We are really excited about that.”
EXPERT Will Gardner
‘ At a time when technology is evolving rapidly, it is essential that parents, teachers and children communicate about their online experiences’ TEN SIGNS A CHILD COULD BE A CYBERBULLYING VICTIM
Website www.uknowkids.com reports that 43 per cent of children have been victim to cyberbullying, and 58 per cent have not told their parents. One mum alerts other parents to look for the signs… 1) Appears nervous when receiving a text, instant message, or email 2) Seems uneasy about going to school or pretends to be ill 3) Unwillingness to share information about online activity 4) Unexplained anger or depression, especially after going online 5) Abruptly shutting off or walking away from the computer mid-use 6) Withdrawing from friends and family in real life 7) Unexplained stomach aches or headaches 8) Trouble sleeping 9) Unexplained weight loss or gain 10) Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts
Wednesday 15th April 2015