Online Saftey Newsletter
December Edition
Please find attached December’s edition of the school’s online safety newsletter along with information on the Government’s latest counter-terrorism initiative and a must-watch film release for all parents of secondary age children, by Netflix.
PREVENT: New Counter-Terrorism website ACT Early
Between 1st January 2019 and 30th June 2020, 17 children were arrested in relation to terrorism offences. Some were as young as 14 years old and nearly all were radicalised entirely online.
In the same time period, more than 1500 children under the age of 15 were referred to the Prevent programme to help them choose a different path, away from hatred and violence.
The impact of Covid-19, social isolation and a rise in hateful extremism online has created a ‘perfect storm’ which is making more young people vulnerable to radicalisation and other forms of grooming.
The new website emphasises early detection and is aimed at family and friends and are encouraged to call the Prevent advice line on 0800 011 3764.
The website can be found here: https://actearly.uk/
/the social dilemma - Netflix
I’m not one for reviewing films and I don’t normally make recommendations, but if you have access to Netflix and have a spare hour or two to fill I would highly recommend the parents of any secondary age children to watch /the social dilemma.
/the social dilemma is a documentary-drama hybrid from Netflix and 'explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations'.
The question raised of course is: is social media bad for us. Spoiler Alert - yes it is. But there is some chilling content, especially toward the end of the film, when we learn that many of the creators of social media, don't use it and don't want their children to use it either (until at least 16 anyhow).
In essence, the creators built a force for good, but it has gone sour. Not just sour, but in many ways it's actually dangerous. And this should matter to all of us.
/the social dilemma has the best explanation that I've seen, about how 'algorithms' work to mine for people's attention and to influence their behaviour.
One of the people who takes part in the programme is ex-Google design ethicist Tristan Harris. He began to worry about the ethics of modern technology in 2013, and has since then created the Center for Humane Technology. The organisation has some resources for teachers and parents to use when discussing this film which you can find here: https://www.humanetech.com/the-social-dilemma
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Head of year or a member of the safeguarding team.
Paul Walton
Director of Inclusion
0208 575 8222 Ext 475