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• Online Safety Alert

  Wed 26 Feb 2020

  Keep your child safe on TikTok What is it?

   

  A video-sharing app that’s huge with children and teenagers right now. You lip-sync to music or do comedy sketches, and can add effects to your videos. You can also gain followers (‘fans’) and watch other people’s videos.

   

  The age recommendation is 13 and above, but it’s easy for younger children to sign up too.

   

  What are the concerns? On the surface, not many (so far). But, there are a few things to watch out for, like: User profiles talking about ‘trading’ or swapping pictures or videos Emojis that are seen as sexually suggestive, like the aubergine Hashtags, like #tradefortrade, which suggest the user is looking to trade illicit content Sexual lyrics and swearing in songs.

   

  Content about eating disorders (known as ‘pro-ana’) Users can’t share images and videos with TikTok’s in-app messaging, but once they’ve made contact, they can easily switch to another app, like Snapchat, to do this.

   

  7 steps to keep your child safe

   

  1. Set account to private and limit profile information If your account is public, anyone (even people with no account) can watch your TikTok videos. Even with a private account, anyone can see your child’s profile information. Tell them not to share personal information publicly, like their full name or where they go to school. Plus, tell your child to only accept ‘fan’ requests from people they know and trust. To make the account private, simply go to your child’s profile > Settings (the 3 dots in the top right) > Privacy and Safety > turn on ‘Private Account’.

   

  2. Use family safety mode This is a new feature, where parents can control some settings on their child’s account (more on which features below) from their own phone. You’ll need to download TikTok and link your account to your child’s. Once you’ve created a profile, go to your profile > Settings > Digital wellbeing > Family safety mode > Choose ‘Parent’. Follow the same steps on your child’s phone but choose ‘Teen’, then scan the QR code with your camera to link your accounts.

   

  3. Restrict interactions like direct messages and ‘duets’ Duets are where users reply to one person’s video with another video and then share it all. The videos appear together, side by side. Having a private account automatically means you can’t do duets, and stops people who aren’t your friends sending you messages. 

   

  3 If your child’s account isn’t private, they can restrict these features by going to Settings > Privacy and Safety > ‘Who can send me messages’ / ‘Who can Duet with Me’ > set to ‘Off’ or ‘Friends’. If you have family safety mode set up, you can limit direct messages, or turn them off completely. You do this through the Digital wellbeing section.

   

  4. Set age limits so your child doesn’t see inappropriate content You can do this through family safety mode, in the Digital wellbeing section. If you’re not using family safety mode, on your child’s phone go to Settings > Digital wellbeing > Restricted mode > follow the steps in the app.

   

  5. Consider setting a time limit on use TikTok can be hard to put down – help your child rein in their use with a time limit. You can do this through the Digital wellbeing section in either family safety mode, or on your child’s phone. Go to the Digital wellbeing section > Screen time management > follow the steps in the app.

   

  6. Restrict in-app purchases to block spending On iPhones, if you already have Screen Time turned on, go to Settings > Content and Privacy Restrictions > enter your passcode if asked > turn on Content and Privacy > tap iTunes and App Store Purchases > In-app Purchases > set to Don’t Allow. If you don’t already have Screen Time turned on, go to Settings > Screen Time > tap to turn it on > choose whether it’s your device or your child’s device > follow the steps to set up a passcode. Then just follow the steps above to block in-app purchases. On Android, open Play Store, tap the menu button in the top left > scroll to Settings > Require Authentication for purchases > Select ‘For all purchases through Google Play on this device’. Keep an eye on your bank statements for in-app purchases to make sure your child isn’t getting round your parental controls.

   

  7. Make sure your child knows how to report content and users Filters aren’t perfect, so make sure your child knows how to report harmful or upsetting content or users. Make sure you both know the rules too – TikTok bans sexually explicit content, bullying, graphic content, “pro-anorexia” content, and hate speech. To report a user, go to their profile > Settings > Report > follow the steps in the app. To delete a fan, your child should go to their Profile > Followers > tap the follower they want to remove > tap the 3 dots icon > tap Block. To block users altogether, go to their profile > Settings > Block > follow the steps in the app You report specific content through the video, comment or message itself. To report a video or message: open it, then tap Share > Report > follow the steps in the app. To report a comment: tap the comment > Report > follow the steps in the app. 

   

   

  

• Educational Apps for EYFS

  Mon 24 Feb 2020

  Following a competition, a panel of experts has accredited six apps, with a focus on early literacy, language and communication.

  The apps are published on the Hungry Little Minds website 

   

  https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk 

   

   

  This gives parents access to video tips, advice and suggested games to help with early learning for their children from birth to five.

  The DfE said the move was part of the Government’s drive to help parents make informed decisions about the use of technology in creating positive learning environments at home.

  The expert panel was chaired by Jackie Marsh, professor of education at the University of Sheffield, and was appointed by the DfE. It included children’s digital media consultants, early learning charities and researchers at universities.

   

  An update to the DfE's parents' survey, also published today, found that more than half of parents surveyed (52 per cent) said they played pretend games together or took turns playing fun activities with their child every day.

   

  The same research also reveals that three-quarters of children aged five and under have used smartphone or tablet apps at least once in the last six months to learn.

   

  The six apps are: 

  • Lingumi (For two- to five-year-olds): Sets of learning games, speech recognition games and video-based games to help with a child’s grammar and getting them speaking their first words early on.
  • Kaligo (For three- to five-year-olds): Claims to be the first digital handwriting exercise book using a stylus and tablet, built using AI and co-created with teachers, occupational therapists and neuroscientists (pictured above).
  • Phonics Hero (For school-aged children): Over 850 fun, varied and motivating games take a child step-by-step through the 44 sounds, the reading and spelling of words, and how to conquer sentences.
  • Teach Your Monster to Read (For school-aged children): Covers the first two years of learning to read, from matching letters and sounds to enjoying little books, designed in collaboration with leading academics.
  • Navigo Game (For school-aged children): Focuses on developing skills that underpin reading, including phonics, letters and sounds, designed by UCL Institute of Education and Fish in a Bottle.
  • Fonetti (For school-aged children): The world’s first ‘Listening Bookshop’ interacting with children by giving visual cues in real-time as they read aloud and highlighting where the most support is needed.
  •  

  Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said, ‘The first few years of a child’s life are crucial in equipping them with the skills needed for the classroom, and we are working with families to make it easier to weave early learning into daily activities.

   

  ‘We know that the majority of families are using technology in fun and visual ways to support their child’s early education, but it can be difficult for busy parents to work out what content is best.

   

  ‘This list of expert-approved apps helps them make confident decisions that benefit their child’s language and literacy skills.’

  The approved apps all meet agreed criteria, including elements of play, interaction and ranging levels of difficulty. 

   

  The DfE said the list of accredited apps built on the Hungry Little Minds campaign, by helping parents choose from hundreds of apps available on the market.

   

  Chair of the expert panel Professor Marsh, said, ‘The panel is delighted with the approved apps, as they all offer valuable opportunities to support children’s early literacy development.

   

  'Apps that are of most educational value to children contain a number of features, such as a design which makes the app easy to use and also offers guidance and support for parents, enabling the content to be adjusted for individual children.

   

  'Apps should also be engaging and fun to use, with clear learning goals and the use of feedback that can be reassuring and motivating for children. All of the approved apps contain these features, and we are confident that they can have a positive impact on children’s early literacy learning.’

   

  Panel member Jonathan Douglas, director at the National Literacy Trust, said, ‘Early language skills are the foundation of all literacy and learning and parents have a uniquely powerful role in developing these skills in their children through talking and reading together. 

   

  ‘Technology is now such a powerful component of the home that it’s important to recognise the powerful resource it can be in enriching these interactions. We believe that the apps, which we have chosen, will help parents feed their children’s hungry little minds with great stories, exciting and fun experience of language and offer the support for the early reading experiences which provide the foundation for a lifetime of learning.’