Beamish Primary School

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Online Safety Information

Children are growing up in a world with a bigger range of online activities than ever before and it is sometimes very hard for both children and adults to know how to stay safe. You can use your computer, mobile phone or tablet for lots of fun things and to make lots of new friends from all over the world.

This section of our website will provide you with links to really useful advice on how to be careful when you use the internet and some great tips to keep safe.  If you are worried about anything you see online or people are asking you questions about where you live or saying nasty things to you please speak to your parents or teacher or follow any of the links below for help and advice.

Each year in school, we celebrate Safer Internet Day, to raise further awareness of staying safe online. Each year focuses on a different theme, which we explore together as a whole school, before sharing our work and learning in assembly. For information on 2022’s Safer Internet Day, please see here. 

Safety Guidance for Parents and Children

As a parent, you’ll know how important the internet is to children – they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves.  It’s a highly creative place of amazing opportunities.  But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online – such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content. In addition,  online safety is not just about protecting children from some of the dangers of the internet – it is also about helping them manage their use of technology and most of the parental controls allow adults to set a maximum time for the use of a device or app.

To support parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media, we have collated a range of resources which summarise key advice and guidance to keep children and families safe online.

General Online Safety

Social Media

It’s important to remember that the legal age to have an account on most social media – Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Snapchat – is 13 years old.

E-safety is an integral part of children’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning at school. We also want to help our parents and children improve their own understanding of e-safety issues so they can learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way, not to mention, understand the positive and negative impacts social media can have on a child’s mental health and developing self-esteem.

Please find key and updated support for each social media platform:

Gaming

Children are spending an every-increasing amount of time on online gaming platforms. It is important to ensure that children have a healthy amount of time on such platforms and devices and when doing so, have regular breaks.

Please see below for guidance on the different areas and platforms within gaming:

Streaming

Children enjoy streaming videos and music on huge platforms such as YouTube individually and with friends however we must understand the potential risks that they may face such as inappropriate content and scams.

Please see below for guidance on using streaming services safely:

Further Guidance and Advice

Please find below a range of websites that have a range of in-depth and helpful information regarding all aspects of online safety for both children and families.

Many children will at times suffer from online bullying.  It is really important that they have someone they can talk to and know that it is not acceptable.  Most apps and sites will have systems inn place that allow bullying to be reported.  Your child’s school may be able to help.

Children can call Childline on 0800 1111  for advice on anything that is worrying them.

Finally since 2015 is has been a criminal offence for an adult to send a message with sexual content to a child (This is Section  67  of  the  Serious  Crime  Act  2015).   If you are concerned that this might have happened please contact The Police without further using the device.  This will help ensure that evidence can be preserved.  The Police can be contacted by phone or from the ThinkUKnow website.

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