Online Safety Tip of the Week: 10.6.22

Welcome to our new weekly online safety bulletin! Each week of the school term, we will provide some useful tips, facts and guides on how to stay safe online. 

This week's theme is: Cross-platform sharing of inappropriate content

Creepy characters like Slender Man or Huggy Wuggy. Dangerous online challenges. Songs or videos that aren’t suitable for young people. When things like these begin trending online, it can be difficult to prevent children accidently stumbling across them – especially if they use a range of platforms, like online games, social media, streaming sites or messaging apps. A trend can originate in one online space and rapidly spread to other platforms or via chat apps. The frightening Huggy Wuggy character, for instance, first emerged as part of a game on Steam; now there are parody songs on TikTok, videos on YouTube and more than 45,000 results for #huggywuggy on Instagram.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as accidental exposure, inappropriate language and unsuitable videos.

2 cross platform sharing of inappropriate content.pdf

Useful links:

Internet Matters - This website has lots of practical advice and information, including detailed guides on how to set up parental controls on a range of devices. 

Childnet - Help, advice and resources for parents and carers 

Parent Zone - Digital advice, activities and ideas for parents and families

NSPCC - Online Safety advice, guides and news. 

 

Visit our Online Safety page for more information.

Missed an update? Head over to our Online Safety Tip of the Week archive.