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MC's Nifty Online Guide

A group of students and I had a chat about what you pupils should know about the online world and we came up with these seven handy top-tips for staying safe and protected whilst surfing the web.
  1. Online privacy settings are key for being protected from online dangers. To make sure you’re not contacted by shifty strangers, set your Facebook profile to private, change your Twitter and Instagram follower settings to request and above all only accept people you know and trust.
  2. Remember, your device can be tracked! Almost anyone who has been in contact with you can use your device information to find out where you are, so behave cautiously online. That means avoiding online chatrooms with strangers, adding unknown people and giving out your information freely. Be aware of those shifty strangers!
  3. Meeting people from online networks can be a dangerous business. You have the right to say NO to meeting someone in person, people online can pretend to be whoever they want, just watch Catfish if you don’t believe me! A girl pretended to be a famous hip-hop star and she almost got away with it too, but just because she was found out doesn’t mean that every shifty stranger will be, so be careful. But, if you know someone who plans to do this and you can’t stop them, make sure they take the necessary precautions such as informing a responsible adult, not meeting the person alone, meeting in a public and safe environment, and of course being 100% sure that the person is who they claim to be.
  4.  ‘What you put online is a reflection of yourself’, think wisely before placing your information online. Uploading inappropriate pictures or videos can lead to bad consequences and writing negative, personal or unsuitable comments can be damaging to yourself and others.  If you are being cyber-bullied remember a ‘report abuse’ function is available on most websites and you do not have to take it.
  5. WARNING! Avoid advertisements, emails or unreliable websites which ask for bank account details or personal information!
  6. There are harmful websites online which may promote harmful activities. These websites should be avoided at all costs and the information on them should be reported! Networks which tell you to hurt yourself or others are dangerous and complete rubbish, YOU are an amazing Warrior Princess of Learning and don’t let any bully or website tell you otherwise!
  7. Be wary of threatening online viruses and downloading from unsafe/illegal websites. I’m sure many of you use technology to complete your schoolwork i.e. MyMaths. However, other less trustworthy websites can cause damage to your devices and not only affect your social life but your education too!

Thanks for reading MC’s NOG, remember to stop, think and be safe, especially online. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Or should I say ‘don’t NOG it till you’ve tried it!’

If you do have any concerns report them ! There is a link on the e-safety page of the school website for reporting any e-safety worries.