Your Life

ESafety

Be S-M-A-R-T

  • Safe Safe. Stay safe by being careful not to give out personal info when you’re chatting or posting online. Personal info includes your email address, phone number and password.
  • Meeting Meeting. Meeting someone you've 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 there with you.
  • Accepting Accepting. Accepting emails, IM 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 Reliable. Someone online might lie about who they are and information on the internet may not be true. Always check information with other websites, books or someone who knows.
  • Tell 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.

SMART Rules have been provided by Kidsmart



Where can you get help?

Never assume it won’t happen to you. It is never too late to tell someone if something makes you feel uncomfortable.

  • If you're in immediate danger, phone 999 for the police.
  • If you think a crime has been committed, phone Suffolk Police: 01473 613500
  • You can get help and support in confidence from Childline. Phone 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk
  • For help and advice or to report abuse visit www.thinkuknow.co.uk

What if?

  • If you think someone knows your password change it straight away.
  • If you get an e-mail saying that computer problems mean the company has to ask you to confirm your password delete it from your mailbox without answering. It's NOT a genuine request no matter how "official" it looks.
  • If someone is making offensive comments or using threatening language in a chat room then leave the chat room immediately and/or report that person to whoever is monitoring the chat room, usually an "admin", "moderator" or "officer".

Keeping safe when you are online

  • Many young people use the internet to buy things, download music or to talk to friends in chat rooms and social networking websites.
  • When choosing a nickname to use in chat rooms and newsgroups, never use your real name and try to make it hard for people to guess your real name from a nickname.
  • Passwords MUST be kept private. Make sure they are at least six characters long and you keep them secret. Don’t use something obvious (like "password" or "abc123" for example) and make sure it is different from your real name and your chosen online nickname.
  • Don’t talk to people online that you don’t know.
  • It’s better to keep online mates "online". Don’t meet up with them without an adult you trust.
  • It’s not a good idea to open files that are from people you don’t know. You won’t know what they contain – it could be a virus or an image or film that could be upsetting.
  • Try to avoid adding photos of your friends from your mobile onto websites, because people who you do not know you could see them too.

What's esafety all about?

If you're doing a project on esafety, you might find this info useful.

Esafety means:

  • Young people (and their parents, guardians and carers) should get the knowledge and skills to safeguard themselves online
  • All people who work with young people should have the knowledge and training to safeguard those young people
  • Systems and services should exist to identify, intervene and divert people from exploiting or abusing young people online and offline
  • Young people who have been subject of indecent images and exploitation or abuse are identified, protected and given support

What are you being 'safeguarded' from?

  • Accidental or deliberate access to 'inappropriate' material
  • Accidental or deliberate access to illegal material
  • Inappropriate or illegal use of email and other technologies
  • Bullying or harassment using technologies
  • Deliberate misuse of the network (for example, hacking or spreading viruses)

The Data Protection Act

Organisations providing services to young people have a duty to monitor use of their technical infrastructures to prevent them being used inappropriately, for unlawful purposes or to distribute offensive material.

The data protection principles state that data must be:

  • Fairly and lawfully processed
  • Processed for limited purposes
  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Accurate
  • Kept no longer than necessary
  • Processed in accordance with data subject's rights
  • Secure
  • Must not be transferred to other countries without adequate protection

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