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• Cyber Safe Families - Online Shopping

  Wed 24 Apr 2024

  Long gone are the days when eBay and Amazon were the only means of buying quality items online. The rise of user-friendly, accessible shopping apps has meant that getting clothes, gadgets and other goodies delivered directly to your door can be accomplished with a few touches of your phone’s screen while you’re on the go.

  These apps aren’t without their issues, however, and users still run the risk of scams, data breaches and other online safety concerns. Being aware of these dangers will go a long way to keeping your money and information safe, so you can still enjoy what these shopping apps have to offer. The guide has some top tips to help protect young people on these purchasing platforms.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Clickbait

  Wed 17 Apr 2024

  While scrolling online, you’ll almost inevitably have come across posts or links with headlines like “You Won’t Believe These 10 Crazy Facts about …”. Such lurid language – and the often-dubious nature of the content it promotes – has become something of a running joke on the internet. Yet while these articles are often laughed at by communities online, they can have an insidious side.

  Clickbait, as it’s known, can frequently function as part of a trap: intended to draw users in for the sake of advertising revenue or, in worse cases, masking an attempting to collect their personal information. This guide explores the various risks of clickbait and offers some top tips for evading the pitfalls of this controversial marketing technique.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Microtransactions

  Wed 20 Mar 2024

  Microtransactions figure in the business model of many game and app developers, allowing them to bring in ongoing revenue as users continue to pay for extra features and content; even software that’s initially free to download can be monetised in this way. It’s a system which has featured in many of younger gamers’ perennial favourite franchises, from Fortnite to FIFA.

  As well as encouraging regular spending, however, microtransactions – especially the increasingly common use of loot boxes – have also been scrutinised for what many argue is a resemblance to gambling, with the potential to foster addictive behaviours. 

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Smartwatches

  Wed 06 Mar 2024

  Wearable tech is increasingly big business. More than 170 million smartwatches were sold globally in 2022, for example, with Apple biting off the largest chunk of the market (26% - some distance ahead of Samsung, in second with 9%). That's partly because they have more than 21,000 apps available for their devices, allowing users to customise their smartwatch experience.

  Both Apple and Samsung’s products, of course, lean towards the higher spec end of the market – usually with price tags to match. Sourcing a less expensive alternative, however, often also means inferior safety features to protect young wearers. That’s just one of the potential hazards highlighted in the guide to smartwatches. In the guide you'll also find tips on several potential risks such as location tracking, causing distractions at school and the danger of theft.

  

• Cyber safe families - X

  Wed 28 Feb 2024

  The social media network formerly known as Twitter has undergone numerous alterations since its change of ownership and rebranding as X – and many of these recent developments have proved controversial. With any user now simply able to pay a fee for account verification, for example, the once-reliable ‘blue tick’ system has become largely meaningless.

  It’s just one of several changes that have set the social media giant on what many consider a concerning path in online safety terms. This guide provides a run-down of the most significant tweaks made to X; their potential safeguarding implications; and how to help ensure young people minimise the risks while they continue to use the service.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Social Pressures Linked to 'Likes'

  Wed 21 Feb 2024

  ‘Likes’ are a simple way for users to show that they approve of a post on social media. This could be anything from photos and videos to status updates and comments. The feature is widely used on several social media platforms and is particularly popular on Instagram and Facebook. It is often used by children to measure the success of their social media posts and gauge opinion about them. However, it can also bring a number of social pressures, particularly if users start to question their own levels of popularity.

  In this guide, you'll find tips for avoiding potential risks such as damage to self-esteem, addiction and competitiveness.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Persuasive Design Online

  Wed 07 Feb 2024

  For many companies who operate in the online space, attention and engagement are the holy grail. Social media sites in particular make deliberate creative choices to keep people scrolling, reading, watching and clicking. This phenomenon is known as ‘persuasive design’ and it’s being employed in the vast majority of the digital world’s most popular destinations.

  A study by the charity 5Rights Foundation concluded that “…the brain's response to rewards and punishments can be leveraged through persuasive design to keep children online.” To tie in with Safer Internet Day 2024, our guide this week can help to educate youngsters on the effects of persuasive design – and suggests ways to insulate themselves from its influence.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Among Us

  Mon 29 Jan 2024

  Created in 2018 by a small indie studio that (at the time) had only four employees, Among Us has become one of the gaming world’s biggest breakout hits of recent years. In 2020, for example, it was the world’s most downloaded mobile game. Its simplicity helped Among Us to resonate with younger players in particular: the game’s second largest audience slice is the 13–18 age bracket.

   

  While the 7+ age rating, emphasis on teamwork, and cartoonish, colourful graphics all suit a young fan-base, however, the game does carry more serious risks than betrayal by a team-mate or an untimely on-screen demise – with in-game purchases and possible contact from strangers on our #WakeUpWednesday guide’s list of hazards that trusted adults should bear in mind.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Smartphone Safety

  Wed 24 Jan 2024

  The online information poster this week is focused on Smartphone Safety.

   

  According to Ofcom, 69% of under-18s use a smartphone as their main method of going online. Additionally, 49% of children use them for online gaming – putting smartphones only behind consoles (59%) as the device of choice for playing games on. Most people won’t require such statistical evidence, however, to acknowledge the huge importance of phones to young people.

   

  Given that Santa’s recent visit is likely to have bestowed smartphones on an even greater number of young people, it’s a particularly opportune moment to ensure that children are able to use their handsets responsibly – and, above all, safely. From passcodes to parental controls, and from screen time to scams, the guide has the essential advice.

  

• Cyber Safe Families - Smart TVs

  Wed 17 Jan 2024

  Smart TVs have become more affordable in recent years, making them readily available to most consumers. These more advanced systems offer numerous features beyond those of a normal television set – chiefly, the ability to access the internet and interface with popular streaming services without the need for a set-top box or other intermediary device.

  This increased functionality, however, also brings additional threats to privacy, security and more – as you’d perhaps expect from any device capable of going online. As TV is such a cornerstone of our home lives, these dangers can be uniquely difficult to manage. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide breaks down the major risks, with tips on helping children to enjoy TV … stress free.