20 May 2020

Police Scotland update for parents on cyber safety

Here is an update from Police Scotland about cyber safety for parents, guardians and carers.

With every school in the UK closed to most families there can be no doubt that our children and young people will be spending more time online while they are attending to school work and maintaining social contact with their friends online and that’s a good thing.

Our Children and young people effectively live their lives in two worlds, the physical world and the virtual online world. The online world for our children and young people is their virtual playground, their area for socialising and their activities within the virtual world are now more than ever more virtually focused.

We want them to be as protected in the virtual online world as much as we protect them in the physical world.
Behind every device that allows and provides connectivity and communication online from social media platforms, gaming, messaging there is a human element, within that element are some who masquerade as someone else, a different gender, a different age group etc. in an attempt to lure, coerce, exploit, intimidate and do harm to our Children and young people.

As a Parent/ Carer, especially during the difficult time we are all going through, you can find support to enhance your Children or young people’s safety, security and awareness at a time when they will be spending more time online. Please have a look at the links below which are very informative, easy to follow and will provide the opportunity to start the discussion about online safety.

Thinkuknow is the online safety education programme from the National Crime Agency and there are home activity packs from the ages of 4yrs to 14+yrs to take support from.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/Parental-controls/

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/support-your-child-at-home/