Monday 6th June 2022
Dear Parents and Carers of years 5 and 6,
RE: Social media e-safety
On Monday 23rd May, I led an assembly that explored what can go wrong when children are using online platforms and social media to communicate outside of school hours. We looked at the emotional harm that unhealthy chats can have. I’ve been impressed with the maturity of some of our children who have come forward since then to share their problems and concerns about the use of WhatsApp, Snapchat and TikTok (to name a few). Some children wished to show me some chats and messages and they are right in their understanding that some messages and behaviours have been concerning.
I would like to remind parents that the recommended, minimum age for these platforms varies between 13 and 16 years-old; and it is assumed that children under this age, use the services under the guidance of adults. I strongly urge parents and carers to monitor and speak with their children about the communication they are having.
Currently, the behaviours that are affecting children is school are:
- Unkind comments and unhealthy banter;
- Spreading rumours;
- Sharing pictures of each other without consent; and
- Spam messages at unsociable hours,
One group chat on WhatsApp actually had used the Kelvin Grove logo as the main picture of the group. This is not allowed and it has since been changed.
We will continue to monitor the situation and welcome children to come forward to discuss any problems they are having. We must all remember that these applications are not monitored closely enough by their developers and we must to what we can to educate children to treat their online presence in the same way as real life.
I am always happy to meet parents who have concerns so I can offer support and guidance to them.
Yours faithfully,
Kris Clark
Deputy Head Teacher