Online Safety

Online Safety Update: Child Abuse Imagery, Snapchat & Squid Game

SELF GENERATED CHILD ABUSE IMAGERY
This is a very sad and worrying trend which affects a growing number of children. It mainly affects children of secondary age but we must all be alert to this very important information as it can affect primary aged pupils as well.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) tells us that 'since the start of the pandemic, the amount of ‘self-generated’ child abuse imagery has
increased dramatically.

In 2020, the IWF confirmed 68,000 cases of such imagery, a rise of 77% on the year before. It accounts for nearly half (44%) the imagery we took action on last year. In 80% of these cases, the victims were 11- to 13-year-old girls.'

The IWF has created a resource to help parents and carers understand the risks of 'self-generated child sexual abuse imagery' using the acronym 'TALK'.

Follow the TALK checklist to help keep your child safe online (Internet Watch Foundation

To find out more, go to: https://talk.iwf.org.uk/

SNAPCHAT
Snapchat is a photo- and video-sharing app (13 years+) through which users can chat with friends via text or audio. Images and videos can be shared with specific friends, or as a ‘story’ (documenting the previous 24 hours) that’s visible to a person’s entire friend list.

Snapchat usage rose during the lockdowns, with many young people utilising it to stay connected with their peers. The app continues to develop features to engage an even larger audience and emulate current trends, rivalling platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as sexting, visible location and strangers.

Please be informed that any child under 13 years of age should not be using this App.

SQUID GAME
I posted about this before the half term break but here is a guide with more information.

With themes of horror and violence, it’s important for parents and carers to understand the potential risks posed to young audiences by the nine-episode Netflix-exclusive TV show, Squid Game. The series, rated 15+, is about a world where contestants who are deeply in debt play children's games in order to win cash prizes. The losers, however, are violently killed. The show’s popularity has meant it has spread in various guises across online platforms, with a heightened risk of children and young people potentially viewing unsuitable content.

This guide will help parents and carers understand exactly what Squid Game is all about.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as inappropriate content, viral spin-offs and scene re-enactments.

Please remember to always monitor your children's online activity as well as what they watch and stream.

More information on for how to keep you and your children safe online can be found on our school website:

https://www.southwarkprimary.net/safeguarding/e-safety/

Mr Skirton