Please find the National Online Safety guide for What Parents & Carers Need to Know about Echo Chambers below.

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Have you ever read something online that’s changed your perspective? Provided new information and made you look at an issue in a fresh light? Imagine if that kind of thing never happened: if everything you read on the internet just reinforced what you thought to begin with, and – what’s more – confirmed that pretty much everyone else out there in cyberspace felt the same way. 

Welcome to the world of online echo chambers, where one particular school of thought is constantly repeated and never challenged. This lack of impartiality can be damaging if the opinion is an extreme one – especially for younger people who are generally more inclined to believe it. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the essentials for parents and carers. 

This free online safety guide examine echo chambers – how they work; why they’re potentially harmful to impressionable young internet users; and what trusted adults need to know.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for Ten Top Tips for Stronger Passwords below.

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According to a Google survey, more than half of us (52%, to be exact) routinely re-use the same passwords, with around one in ten employing a single password across all of their online accounts. What that means, of course, is that any hacker successfully cracking our password would find themselves with access to not simply one of our online accounts, but several (at least).

That, along with the fact that many people’s favoured passwords aren’t exactly impenetrable, makes it easier to see why some sources put the number of online accounts being broken into at around 100 per second. Yes, you read that right: 100 per second. To help give you some extra peace of mind about your digital data, our #WakeUpWednesday guide has some tips on setting more secure passwords.

In the guide you’ll find a number of top tips on setting stronger passwords such as how to get creative, what to avoid, and the value of multi-factor authentication.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for Top Tips for Adopting Safe and Healthy Online Habits below.

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Every year, Comic Relief goes all out to help people, both in the UK and internationally, who are going through a tough time. In our area of specialism, we at National Online Safety are acutely aware that – for children and young people in particular – many of those difficult moments increasingly originate from and unfold in the digital world.

From inappropriate content to the toxic behaviour of others, online harms can do long-lasting damage. That’s why we’re passionate about helping this new generation to build their digital resilience – equipping them to deal with digital dangers. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has a selection of tips for encouraging safe and healthy online habits. 

In this guide we’ve compiled a list of useful suggestions which could help you and your family strike the right balance and build digital resilience. 

Please find the National Online Safety guide for What Parents and Carers Need to Know about iPads below.

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When Apple unveiled the iPad in early 2010, they almost single-handedly rewrote people’s idea of what of a portable computing device was capable of – and sparked a tablet revolution. There are several very respectable imitators on the market now, but the iPad remains the standard bearer for tablet computers and still routinely shifts upwards of 40 million units every year.

Their immense popularity, of course, has made the iPad a familiar companion for children and young people: an auxiliary TV; an aid for schoolwork; and a blessing on long car journeys. That said, there are still some aspects of Apple’s flagship tablet that parents and carers should bear in mind to help protect their child from online risks – as our #WakeUpWednesday guide explains.

This guide highlights possible hazards including the risk of age-inappropriate content, physical damage to the device and potential screen addiction.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘What Parents and Carers Need to Know about NGL‘ below.

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NGL is another of those ‘bolt-on’ apps which is designed to work alongside a major social media network. In this instance, the ‘host’ platforms are Instagram and Twitter – with NGL (meaning, as you may have surmised, ‘Not Gonna Lie’) inviting a user’s friends and followers to ask them questions anonymously. An intriguing novelty, perhaps – but also not without risk.

Human nature being what it is, some people take the smokescreen of online anonymity as an excuse to behave in ways that they certainly wouldn’t if their identity were visible. The idea of exposing young social media users to anonymous messages is one which understandably concerns many parents: our #WakeUpWednesday guide brings you the facts about NGL. This free online safety guide looks at NGL – an anonymous messaging app.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Spotify‘ below.

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With around 60,000 songs added to its online library every day, Spotify is a vast treasure trove of audio dating from some 19th century recordings through to giants of the download age like The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran. Factor podcasts, audiobooks and videos into the mix, and the Swedish-based streaming platform quite literally offers something for everyone. 

Not everything in Spotify’s depths is universally suitable, however. The sheer mass of music and content on the platform mean that, naturally, not all of it is intended for younger listeners. With an audio chat service available and media reports of predatory activity, our #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights other aspects of Spotify which trusted adults ought to be in the loop about. 

In the guide you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as age-inappropriate lyrics, an audio chat function and recent reports of predatory activity.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions‘ below.

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Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a part of modern life and, for all intents and purposes, isn’t something we can shy away from. The explosion of ChatGPT, for instance, has brought this kind of technology into a more purposeful context, with millions now using the language model to help solve problems, write computer code or even complete their homework. 

So how do artificial intelligence solutions work exactly? What kind of risks do they bring? Will they eventually negate the need for certain job roles, particularly in the creative industries? Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week explains what AI solutions are and suggests ways parents and carers can support children to use the technology with an open mind. In the guide you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as inaccurate information, reinforcing stereotypes and what impact the technology might have on children’s creativity and problem-solving skills.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘10 Ways Gaming Can Support Positive Outcomes‘ below.

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Gaming, of course, is phenomenally popular with children and young people. In 2021, for instance, more than three-quarters of teenagers played online games, with almost 70% of primary school aged children doing likewise. If enjoyed in moderation and supported by a healthy routine (staying hydrated, good sleep habits, taking breaks and so on), gaming can actually benefit a person’s mental health. As long as we stay alert for potential risks, games can be much more than what we see on the surface: they can be a way to socialise, an avenue for creativity and a route to solving problems. Our top ten tips outline how gaming online can sometimes work to your child’s advantage.

In the guide you’ll find a number of potential benefits including a sense of achievement, learning about teamwork and encouraging creativity.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘Tips for Encouraging Open Discussions about Digital Lives‘ below.

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Most parents frequently chat with their child about how things are going at school or what’s happening in their friendship groups – but those discussions often doesn’t extend to youngsters’ online activities. In fact, National Online Safety conducted a recent survey which found that only slightly more than half (54%) of parents regularly talk to their children about staying safe online. 

It can be an awkward topic to broach and, of course, it needs not to feel intrusive. However, just checking in with your child about their digital life can get them thinking about online safety and alert you to any issues they might be having. In support of Safer Internet Day 2023, our #WakeUpWednesday guide has some useful tips on potential ways to start those conversations.

In the guide you’ll find a number of useful tips such as being as honest as possible, discussing how misleading the online world can be and creating a ‘family agreement’.

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘12 Top Tips for Building Cyber Resilience at Home‘ below.

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In the last couple of decades, the volume of online traffic has increased exponentially – but, by and large, people’s awareness of the accompanying risks hasn’t grown along with it. To illustrate the scale of the issue, consider this: a report by the Internet Crime Complaint Centre found that, in the US during 2020, there was a successful cyber-attack every second. Yes: every second. 

Criminals continue to find new and devious ways to attempt to hijack our online transactions and harvest our private information. To them, the smart devices that many of us now use as standard at home are simply a convenient back door into our lives – and our networks. Check out our #WakeUpWednesday guide for advice on beefing up your household’s cyber resilience. In the guide you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as how to use a password manager, how to back up your data and how to check for breaches.