E-safety
- E-safety is about knowing about and using the internet safely and responsibly
- It refers to when an individual is using the internet, email, social media, online gaming
- E-safety refers to the individual knowing how to protect themselves from potential dangers and threats
The need for e-safety
- Protects personal information
- awareness that personal information should not be shared freely
- Prevents cyberbullying
- awareness of how to act online and how to avoid falling victim, creating a safe and respectful online environment.
- Guards against online scams
- identify and avoid online scams, phishing attempts, and fraudulent websites that may try to trick them into sharing personal or financial information.
- Ensures digital reputation
- mindful of online behaviour and interactions, protecting your digital reputation, which can have long-term consequences in personal and professional lives.
- Promotes privacy and control
- have control over privacy settings on social media platforms, allowing a limit to who can access/view personal information and posts.
- Prevents exposure to inappropriate content
- avoid encountering explicit or harmful content online, reducing the risk of exposure to inappropriate material or online predators.
- Secures online gaming experiences
- engage in online gaming responsibly, avoiding sharing personal details and maintaining respectful behaviour towards other players.
- Guards against malware and viruses
- protecting devices from malware, viruses, and other online threats, preventing data loss, privacy breaches, or device damage.
- Promotes responsible digital citizenship
- develop responsible online behaviours, promoting respectful conduct while interacting with others on the internet.
- Supports overall well-being
- maintain a healthy balance between online and offline lives, reducing the risk of addiction, mental health issues, or negative impacts on relationships and self-esteem.
Advice
The Internet:
- Use trusted websites recommended by teachers or reputable sources
- Utilise search engines that only allow access to age-appropriate websites and use filters to ensure inappropriate content is not seen
- Never reveal personal information
Email:
- Be aware of the potential dangers of opening or replying to emails from unknown people, including attachments, potential dangers include phishing, spam
- Ensure you know who the email is for when considering sending personal data or images via email, only with people you know and not with identifiable content like school photos
Social media:
- Know how to block and report people who send content or messages that are unwanted
- Know where the privacy settings are to reduce the number of people who can see your posts or images
- Be aware of the potential dangers associated with meeting online contacts face to face, do not meet anyone you do not know, if you do, take an adult and meet publicly
- Do not distribute of inappropriate images and inappropriate language
- Respect the confidentiality of personal data belonging to other people
- Only accept friend requests from people you know
- Parents should be aware of what you are doing online, discuss what you are doing online
- Do not post images or details that can be used to locate you
Online gaming:
- Do not use real names as usernames
- Never share personal or financial details with other players
- Know how to block and report players for inappropriate messages or comments
Worked example
A student uses social media to keep in contact with other people.
Describe four strategies that the student could use to stay safe when using social media to communicate with others.
[4]
4 of:
Don’t give out other people’s personal information such as address or phone number [1]
Don’t send inappropriate images to anyone [1]
Don’t open/click on suspicious links/adverts on social media [1]
Don’t become online ‘friends’ with people you do not know//don’t contact/chat with people you do not know [1]
Never arrange to meet someone in person who you only met online [1]
If anything you see or read online worries you, you should tell someone about it/block them [1]
Use appropriate language [1]
Set security so only friends can contact you [1]
