e-Safety in Schools

The Kent e-Safety Policy Template has been updated for 2012 by the Kent e-Safety Strategy Group to reflect the rapid changes in technology and to promote good practice within schools and settings.

The e-Safety agenda relates to children and young people as well as adults and is concerned with the safe use of the Internet, mobile phones and other electronic communications technologies, both in and out of school. It includes education for all members of the school community on risks and responsibilities and is part of the ‘duty of care’ which applies to everyone working with children.

All schools and settings need to recognise the importance of e-Safety as part of the wider safeguarding remit and in ensuring that children feel safe and are able to learn and achieve to the best of their abilities. Children now live in an ever increasingly digital world and it’s essential that schools recognise this when implementing their safeguarding responsibilities. Schools and other settings must decide on the right balance between controlling access to the internet and technology, setting rules and boundaries and educating students and staff about responsible use and should ensure that action has been taken to help protect staff, students and the wider school community.

The updated 2012 e-Safety Policy Template builds upon the foundations laid by previous editions and incorporates new content and is provided as a framework to support schools and other settings when writing and updating e-Safety policies. The e-Safety policy is essential in setting out how the school plans to develop and establish its e-Safety approach and to identify core principles which all members of the school community need to be aware of and understand.

New content includes:

• New and updated discussion material in relation to establishing school policies and procedures
• Updated sections regarding cyberbullying, learning platforms and personal devices 
• Content regarding responding to e-Safety incidents and the use of Social media tools 
• Updated audit, contact information and references to useful materials
  

The Kent Online e-Safety Policy Generator website has also been updated with the new material to enable schools to create a collaborative and personalised version of their policy online. If any Kent schools or settings have not already registered to use the generator, they can visit www.policy.e-safety.org.uk for more information and to register for an account. Please note that only schools within Kent, Medway or other registered Local Authorities can register to use the Online Generator.

Kent schools and settings can consult with the e-Safety Officer to discuss policies and procedures in relation to schools e-Safety responsibilities.

The updated policy template is available electronically here and other Kent e-Safety Material can be found at www.kenttrustweb.org.uk?esafety

The development and use of digital technology has grown quickly, and advancements in social networking sites, web-cams, portable media devices, and online gaming have been particularly appealing to children and young people. Whilst these technological developments bring benefits and opportunities to and young people in terms of their learning and development, they also bring about safeguarding implications.  This report has worked with two primary schools and followed their journey to reach ‘outstanding' in terms of safeguarding. 

Findings from the two case studies provide an overview of what works in primary schools in terms of improving and raising e-safety awareness, as well as the barriers and challenges schools may face in trying to implement them.

You can read the full document here

For more information regarding training or consultations for Kent schools and settings, contact the Kent e-Safety Officer: esafetyofficer@kent.gov.uk 

The IWF is the UK reporting Hotline for images of child sexual abuse hosted anywhere in the world and UK-hosted extreme adult pornography and non-photographic images of child sexual abuse. It is an independent self-regulatory body which was set up and funded by the online industry and the EU. It has more than 100 members. Since it was launched on 1 December 1996, the IWF has assessed almost 370,000 webpages.

As a result of the IWF's work with the online industry, the volume of UK-hosted child sexual abuse content has reduced from 18% in 1997 to less than 1% since 2003 and the IWF has kept it that way. Child sexual abuse webpages in the UK are rapidly removed thanks to the responsible actions of the online industry with whom the IWF works.

However there is still a problem with child sexual abuse content hosted around the world.

• The IWF statistics spanning the past 15 years show 45% of the worldwide webpages assessed and actioned for removal by the IWF featured children aged 10 years and under, including babies. For the past four complete years (2007 to 2010) this figure is 73.5%. This reflects the increasingly extreme nature of the content assessed and actioned by the IWF analysts.
• Since 1996, 40% of the global child sexual abuse content actioned by the IWF involves the *** and sexual torture of children. For the past four complete years (2007 to 2010) this figure is 53.5%.

IWF Chief Executive Susie Hargreaves said: "To assess more than 370,000 webpages is incredible and the IWF is proud to have played its part nationally and internationally to remove images of child sexual abuse. Although we've had tremendous success domestically, child sexual abuse content on the internet is a problem the IWF and the industry are eager to tackle wherever it is hosted. With the industry and partner Hotlines' support we've been able to remove 87,000 webpages containing some of the worst content depicting the *** and sexual torture of young children and babies. Preventing the revictimisation of those children and protecting the public from stumbling across this horrific content is our priority.Through working with the online industry and our partners we've been able to grow and adapt in order to meet this challenge and we will continue to adapt to tackle this global problem."

Home Office Minister for Crime and Security, James Brokenshire said: "We must never forget that behind every computer image is a real child victim. Over the last 15 years the IWF has done fantastic work to help rid the web of large amounts of illegal and deeply disturbing content.  As the IWF's figures show we can never be complacent. The strength of the IWF approach is working in partnership with the internet industry, government, the police, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and, most importantly, the public themselves.  We must continue that work together."

For more information about the IWF or to report online content visit http://www.iwf.org.uk/

To read the full press release accompanying the IWF 15th anniversary click here.

To learn more about the IWF 15 years combatting criminal content online visit 15th anniversary page.

The following information has been taken from the Ofcom Press Release

Ofcom's research reveals that more than nine out of ten (95 per cent) 12-15 year olds now have internet access at home through a PC or laptop, up from 89 per cent in 2010 and 77 per cent in 2007.

Mobile social networking increases among 12-15s

Social networking is still one of the most popular uses of the internet amongst 12-15s, although the number of children with social networking profiles has stayed static since 2010 at 3 per cent of 5-7s who use the internet at home, 28 per cent of 8-11s and 75 per cent of 12-15s.

However, children are visiting social network sites more often on their mobiles, driven by the increase in smartphone ownership. Half (50 per cent) of 12-15s with a smartphone visit social networking sites weekly compared with 33 per cent in 2010.

Increase in computer and video gaming among 8-11s

While 12-15s are using the internet for social networking sites, 8-11s are more likely to use it for gaming, with 51 per cent saying they play games online on a weekly basis, up from 44 per cent in 2010.

8-11s are also spending more time playing on games players/ consoles compared with 2010 (9 hours 48 minutes - an increase of nearly 2 hours).

Taking computer and video games together, seven in ten (68 per cent) 8-11s say they play games almost every day, up from 59 per cent in 2010.

Television remains the most popular activity among 5-7s

Among 5-7s, almost half (48 per cent) say that television is the medium they would miss the most, compared to 25 per cent naming playing computer/video games, and less than one in ten naming either the internet (7 per cent) or mobile phones (1 per cent). The research shows that 95 per cent of this age group watch TV almost every day, compared to 43 per cent using the internet, and 7 per cent using a mobile phone.

Online safety risks remain

Parents say they are generally very confident about their children using the internet safely and the vast majority of children aged 8-15 feel that they know how to stay safe online (88 per cent) and that they are confident internet users (97 per cent). However with increasing use of media, there remain some safety issues.

A fifth of all 12-15 year olds said they'd had a negative mobile or online experience in the past year, with gossip being spread (13 per cent) being the most common issue. Girls are more likely to know someone who has had gossip spread about them (44 per cent of girls compared with 29 per cent of boys). A quarter of teenagers (23 per cent) say that they know someone who has been bullied through their mobile phone, rising to 30 per cent of teenage girls.

A minority of children have social networking profiles which are either open (public) or set to where friends of friends can see it - 28 per cent of 12-15s and 17 per cent of 8-11s.

18 per cent of children who play games online play against people they don't know personally, with boys aged 5-15 are more likely to do this than girls (24 per cent compared to 7 per cent of girls).

Increasing parental supervision

The research also reveals that in some areas parents of children who use the internet at home are increasing their supervision and protection.

Over half (54 per cent) of parents of 5-15s supervise their child in some way when they're online - up from 48 per cent in 2010. And four in ten (39 per cent) parents say that internet controls or filtering software are fitted, rising to 59 per cent when asked about specific controls such as ‘safe search' and YouTube safety mode.

For mobile phones, one in three (31 per cent) parents whose child has a web enabled mobile has limited their access to exclude websites aimed at those aged 18 or over.

Children are also becoming more aware of potential risks, with 12 per cent of 8-11s with a social networking profile saying they talk to people not directly known to them, down from 22 per cent in 2010 (24 per cent of 12-15s, down from 32 per cent in 2010).

Ed Richards, Ofcom Chief Executive, said: "The almost universal use of the internet at home by 12-15s - both for their education as well as their entertainment - is a positive step forward. The research also shows that parents and children are increasingly aware of how to be safe when using the internet. But risks do remain. Better understanding - amongst parents as well as their children - is key to helping people to manage content and communications, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of media use while protecting themselves from the potential risks."

 A full PDF version of the report can be found here