KL.FM 96.7 - cybersafe

KL.FM 96.7 want to help protect West Norfolk’s kids online.

As part of our Cybersafe campaign we’ve compiled a directory of information.

We’d love your input so if you’ve got any extra information, or a story to tell please email us on news@klfm967.co.uk.

5 Key SMART rules for kids

SAFE

Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information – such as your full name, e-mail address, passwords, phone number, home address, photos or school name – either to people you are chatting with online or by posting it online where other people can see it.

MEETING

Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission and even then only when they can be present.

ACCEPTING

Accepting e-mails, instant messenger messages, or opening files, pictures or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems – they may contain viruses or nasty messages.

RELIABLE

Information you find on the internet may not be true, or someone online may be lying about who they are.

TELL

Tell your parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online.

5 Ps for social networking sites

POSITIVE

Stay positive about social networking sites – try to strike a balance between educating children and young people to behave safely and trusting them to get on with it. Get involved – ask them to add you to their friends list.

PRIVACY

Most social network providers make available tools for user protection, including privacy tools and it’s important to make sure that children know how to use them. It’s important to discuss the value of privacy with children, encourage your child to keep their passwords private and work with them to check the privacy settings on their account which limit how much of their information can be seen by others – for example, encourage your child to change their settings to private so that only people they allow can see what they post and comment on their space, rather than public which leaves their site open to be viewed by anyone. And encourage them to add friends they know in the real world, remembering that friends they have only met online are still strangers.

PHOTOS

It’s natural that children will want to include a photo on their site or profile, but help them think about the implications of posting photos and what is suitable. It is important to think about the type of picture and the kind of attention it might attract, the information it could divulge and who could see it. Suggest that your child ask permission of other people in the images that they post. Also, be aware that photos can be easily copied, changed, shared, used elsewhere, and can potentially stay online forever. One question to ask your child is ‘would you want a relative or future employer to see this photo?’.

POSTINGS

The ability to interact with this media and comment on other people’s sites is part of what makes these sites so attractive. However, make sure you help your child to think before they post. Set some ground rules about what is and isn’t ok to say in a blog or profile. This relates to what the child says about others as much as about themselves. What starts off as a joke or gossip can quickly escalate to cause real pain which cannot be taken back.

POLICE

It’s really important that you encourage your child to tell you about inappropriate or illegal activity they may come across. If they are being harassed by another user, keep the evidence and report that person’s screen name to the SN provider which should act on violations to its terms of service. If you suspect your child is or has been the subject of inappropriate sexual contact or an approach by another person, it’s vital that you help them keep a copy of the evidence and report it to the police via the child exploitation and online protection centre (CEOP) website: www.ceop.gov.uk/reportabuse

Mobile phones

If you are uncomfortable about any images or messages you get sent on your mobile, then keep a record of them. They may be used as evidence. Contact your mobile operator if you are receiving nuisance calls to see what they can do help.

O2: 0870 5214 000 or www.ncb@o2.com

Vodafone: Call customer services on 191 from a Vodafone phone or any other phone call 08700 700 191 for Pay Monthly customers or on 08700 776 655 for Pay As You Go customers.

3: Cal 333 from a 3 phone, or 08707 330 333.

Orange: Call 450 on an Orange phone or 07973 100 450 for Pay As You Go customers; call 150 from an Orange phone or 07973 100 150 for Pay Monthly customers.

T-Mobile: Call customer services on 150 from your T-Mobile phone or on 0845 412 5000 from a landline, or email using the ‘how to contact us’ section of the T-Mobile website at www.t-mobile.co.uk.