This year's Internet Safety day focused on exploring respect and relationships online. The internet is great and helps us to connect with the world. This can mean, however, that there is a possibility that children may come up against unkind or sinister comments on gaming or social media.
As a school we explored online gaming and how we can keep ourselves safe on games where we interact with people we might not know in real life. The children understood the risks that are often found in gaming platforms and offered some really good ways in which they protect themselves. Here are some of the suggestions they came up with:
1 - Tell a trusted grown-up - if you feel you are being a victim of cyberbullying, or worried about something you have seen on line, you should always tell a grown up you can trust. They will be able to support you and help you deal with this.
2 - Play on private servers - If you play games online, try using a private server. This way you can control who you will be playing with and likely know them in real life. If you are unsure how to go about creating a private server - speak to Miss Heater for support.
3 - Block! - If there is someone saying things that you do not like - you have the choice to block and report that person. Most good gaming sites have this option in their settings. An adult will be able to help and support you to block unwanted people