• SAFE - Stay safe, don't give out personal information.
• MEETING - Only meet someone from the internet with parents.
• ACCEPTING - Emails, IM, texts from strangers can lead to problems.
• RELIABLE - Information on the internet may not be true.
• TELL - A trusted adult if anything online makes you feel uncomfortable.

Whatsapp is an extremely popular social media app used to send messages, photos and videos for free using an internet connection. The current age restriction on the app is 13+ meaning that no child of primary age should be using it. As a result of growing concerns of how the app can be used inappropriately (sending rude and upsetting messages, group chats isolating and hurting the feelings of individuals), Facebook, the company owner has decided to increase its age restriction to 16+. If you or your child currently has the app an update will need to be downloaded in the coming weeks where the user will have to prove that they are over 16. For more information on the age restriction increase and Whatsapp in general, please see the links below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43888647
https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/whatsapp/

If you’ve not heard of Fortnite you likely don’t have children of-a-certain-age.

Fortnite is sweeping the country as one of the latest craze games – and Roxbourne is definitely no exception. Many of the children are discussing the game and it has been rated as the most popular in Year 6. Fortnite is a game, which features up to 100 players battling to be the last person alive in a player vs player combat. However this online game has text chats as part of its ability to interact.

Parents need to be aware that the law enforcement agency says text chats between players on Fortnite are over the internet, and cannot be turned off, meaning that mums and dads are unaware their children are chatting to strangers online.

Parents should also take note that ‘dozens of users have reported adults making inappropriate remarks to children.’

In light of this we are urging all parents, with children using this game’ to try to follow Officers from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection team’s advice. One of the recommendations it had for parents was to play it with their children, to make sure they’re not talking to anyone inappropriate.

Police forces have raised child safety concerns about a new Snapchat feature that reveals users' locations amid fears it could be used for stalking. Parents have been warned to turn off "Snap Maps" on their children's phones after Snapchat, which is wildly popular among teenagers, introduced the location-sharing mode this week. The feature displays a map of nearby friends, showing their latest location gathered using a smartphone's GPS sensor. Users of the app can also search for locations such as individual schools, with the app displaying public photos and videos sent by students.

While the feature is designed to help friends meet up or attend events together, it has raised fears that it could be abused. A spokesperson for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said: "It’s worrying that Snapchat is allowing under 18s to broadcast their location on the app where it can potentially be accessed by everyone in their contact lists.

The UK Safer Internet Centre said: "It is important to be careful about who you share your location with, as it can allow people to build up a picture of where you live, go to school and spend your time.”

"Given how specific this new feature is on Snapchat - giving your location to a precise pinpoint on a map - we would encourage users not to share their location, especially with people they don’t know in person."

Parents can turn the feature off on children's phones by setting the app to "ghost mode."

The digital age has changed what it means to be a child. There are some things that children don’t want to see online and that you, as a parent, would rather they didn’t. Parental controls are the names for filters and blockers of certain content, and can help you protect your children from the things they shouldn’t see or do online.

• Agencies to Contact and Advice for Setting Parental Control on Devices and Websites
• Tik Tok - E-Safety
• The Momo Challenge - What It-Is & How to Keep Your Child Safe

Online-Gaming is extremely popular with of all ages. Many children start using Smart phone Apps from a very early age.

Please make sure your child is safe when Online-Gaming

• PEGI - Good Gaming Guide - Advice on Safer Gaming for your Children and How to set Parental Controls on Gaming Devices