Yesterday was Safer Internet Day (SID), a significant annual event celebrated in over 170 countries. This day highlights the importance of educating young people about staying safe online.

This year's theme, ‘Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online,’ focused on teaching young people how to identify and avoid scams, and highlighted who to talk to. The school took part in several special activities during the day.

Scams can take many forms and target anyone, including young people. You may think that your child would be able to spot an online scammer, but the truth is that they are incredibly convincing and hard to spot. They often involve fake profiles and identities to target people. You may have heard this referred to as ‘catfishing.’ If your child has been targeted by a scam online and they have been made to do something that they didn’t want to, then they are not to blame, they are not in trouble, and support is available. We also talked about other scams, including pop-ups, gaming, telephone calls and 'pretend' friends.  Everything that was covered was included in last week’s Cyber Secure guide - Online Safety Page. 

The key messages from the day were:

1. The acronym SCAM (see below):

2. The importance of talking to a 'trusted adult' about any online issues.

For more information about this special event or other online safety information, please go to Homepage - UK Safer Internet Centre

There are also some great videos for your children to watch at Safer Internet Day 2025: Teaching resources - BBC Teach

How Parents Can Help: 

• Have open conversations: Discuss the theme of Safer Internet Day and the importance of online safety with your children. Explain what online scams are and how they can protect themselves. 

• Set clear rules: Establish guidelines for internet use, such as not sharing personal information, being cautious about clicking on links, and recognizing suspicious emails or messages. 

• Use parental controls: Implement parental controls on devices and apps to monitor and limit your child's online activity, ensuring they access age-appropriate content. 

• Be a role model: Demonstrate safe online behaviour yourself. Show your children how to verify the authenticity of websites and emails, and encourage them to ask for help if they encounter something suspicious. 

• Explore resources together: Take advantage of the resources provided by the school and online platforms to learn more about online safety. Engage in activities and discussions as a family to reinforce the importance of staying safe online. 

If you have any questions about this event or any other online safety issues, please feel free to come and have a chat.

Mr Bundy