Online Safety

Download: Online Safety Policy 2023-2024 [PDF]

What Parents Need to Know about Roblox

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

Download: What Parents Need to Know about Roblox [PDF]

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Roblox is one of the most popular video games on the market. By 2020, the game’s makers were claiming that more than half of children in the USA play it. As a ‘sandbox’ title, Roblox offers a huge amount of creative freedom: it lets players create their own gaming experiences with the Roblox Studio to build custom levels and games, which can then be shared with other players online. Roblox fosters creative thinking and enjoys a robust online community of fans.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as online daters, in-app purchases and contact with strangers.

What Parents Need to Know about Steam

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

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Steam is a computer gaming digital distribution platform and storefront. It is the biggest platform for desktop- or laptop-based gaming, with a range of more than 30,000 games available. The platform has become a lively social environment for many gamers, and allows people to trade, sell and buy gaming items for real money. Valve, the developers behind Steam, have also released different hardware that works with the platform, including the Steam Deck – a hand-held console that lets users play their favourite games while away from their computer.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as potential scams, contact with strangers and in-app purchases.

What Parents Need to Know about Minecraft

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

Download: What Parents Need to Know about Minecraft [PDF]

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Minecraft is a beloved classic of modern gaming. First released in 2011, this open-ended ‘sandbox’ game of building and exploration still has over 140 million players who happily return to play it at least once every month. Minecraft has also been utilised for much more than just entertainment: it’s sometimes used in schools to teach children coding, and it’s also employed as a tool for computer-aided design, which is another valuable skill. Encouraging creativity and problem solving, Minecraft has plenty to offer gamers of all ages, and it’s available on almost all video game platforms.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as in-game purchases, addiction and chatting with strangers.

What Parents Need to Know about Esports

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

Download: What Parents Need to Know about Esports [PDF]

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British Esports describes ‘esports’ as “competitive gaming, human-v-human, usually with a spectator element to it”. In recent years, the esports industry has grown significantly – and is expected to reach an overall worth of $1.2 billion, with around 30 million monthly viewers, by the end of 2022. This rapid evolution has presented even more opportunities … but, of course, opportunities usually come with a risk. Here, we’ve highlighted some of the potential hazards within the esports industry and suggested ways to help young people stay safe so they can make the most of this exciting space.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as in-game purchases, inappropriate content and possible exploitation.

What Parents Need to Know about Twitch

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

Download: What Parents Need to Know about Twitch [PDF]

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Twitch is a livestreaming service which tends to focus on gaming. Users can publicly broadcast their gameplay and commentary online for other users to watch. It’s a community-driven platform where viewers can support their favourite streamers’ channels through PayPal donations, “Bits” and more. Each streamer or group creates their own community for fans to interact with each other. Twitch has more than 15 million daily active users and includes non-gaming topics such as music, cooking and art. Anyone can create a channel to livestream or watch videos.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as inappropriate content, private chat rooms and strangers.

What Parents Need to Know about the Metaverse

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

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‘Metaverse’ is a relatively new term to many, however the concept has been around for some time. Videogames, for example, use many aspects of the metaverse; avatars, digital currency, mini-games, and open communication. A metaverse can also take many forms; Fortnite can be seen as a metaverse, as is Roblox. Put simply, a metaverse is an online environment where people interact, play games and express themselves. Away from traditional videogames, there are newer and more ‘dedicated’ metaverses such as Decentraland, The Sandbox and Somnium Space which are akin to Second Life.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as anonymity, psychological impact and unsafe areas.

What Parents Need to Know about Virtual Reality

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘What Parents Need to Know about Virtual Reality‘ below.

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Virtual reality (VR for short) has existed for decades, but it’s only in the last 10 years that the technology has really become publicly available. With VR’s rapid rise as a gaming and educational medium, there are plenty of unknowns regarding its use – for adults and children alike. Is it safe? How long should someone use VR for? How expensive is it? What’s clear is that VR is becoming ever more ubiquitous in everyday life: from companies using it for training to at-home fitness. Knowing what the technology is capable of is more useful than ever.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as physical accidents, premature exposure and eye strain.

What Parents Need to Know about Cross-Platform Sharing of Inappropriate Content

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘What Parents Need to Know about Cross-Platform Sharing of Inappropriate Content‘ below.

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Creepy characters like Slender Man or Huggy Wuggy. Dangerous online challenges. Songs or videos that aren’t suitable for youngsters. When things like these begin trending online, it can be difficult to prevent children accidently stumbling across them – especially if they use a range of platforms, like online games, social media, streaming sites or messaging apps. A trend can originate in one online space and rapidly spread to other platforms or via chat apps. The frightening Huggy Wuggy character, for instance, first emerged as part of a game on Steam; now there are parody songs on TikTok, videos on YouTube and more than 45,000 results for #huggywuggy on Instagram.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as accidental exposure, inappropriate language and unsuitable videos.

What Parents Need to Know about Discord

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

Download: What Parents Need to Know about Discord [PDF]

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Discord is a free app which allows users to communicate in real time via text, video or voice chat. Available on desktop and mobile devices, it was originally designed to help gamers cooperate – but has evolved into a more general networking platform for a range of online communities, discussing topics like TV series, music, Web3 and more. Discord is organised around closed groups, referred to as ‘servers’. To join a server, users must be invited or provided with a unique link. It’s a space for users to interact with friends, meet others with shared interests and collaborate in private online — but it’s also a place where young people can be exposed to risks if the right precautions aren’t taken.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as cyberbullying, predators and inappropriate content.

What Parents Need to Know about Toddlers & Screen Time

Please find the National Online Safety guide for ‘What Parents Need to Know about Toddlers & Screen Time‘ below.

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The toddler years are full of excitement, exploration and energy. It’s a critical time in children’s development, when brain connections are rapidly forming. Youngsters often begin to discover devices around this age, as they learn to communicate with friends, play games and watch videos (Ofcom recently found, for example, that one in five 3–4-year-olds in the UK uses social media). These activities can make a child happy and relaxed but have a damaging impact if overused. Setting screen time limits for toddlers can be a challenge, so we’ve pulled together some suggestions for making sure your little one is interacting with the online world in a safe, healthy way.

In the guide, you’ll find tips such as setting parental controls, removing devices at certain times and using screentime as a reward.