Online Safety
E-safety News & Information
ChatGPT creater Sam Altman expresses concern about 'under-regulation'
Speaking at an AI event in Taipei, the CEO of the startup OpenAI said in the tech industry there is a "reflexive...
Meta plans to develop chatbot with ‘sassy robot’ persona for young users,...
Facebook parent company Meta is reportedly planning to internally release an artificial intelligence chatbot called...
TikTok frenzies 'putting police and schools under strain'
Police leaders and teachers' unions are warning that TikTok frenzies that encourage anti-social behaviour are putting...
Cyber Security Focus - 2. A Guide to Protecting Your Online Identity
Your online identity is at risk. In a world where we’re all spending more time online, we’re building increasingly...
Cyber Security Focus - 1. Passwords and Beyond
In the first article in our 'Cyber Security Focus' series we look at passwords and the move towards two or three...
What’s going on with Facebook?
Facebook has been in the news quite a lot recently, there have been allegations, investigations and corporate...
The Internet - an inspirational and helpful place!
The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices. The internet is always changing and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge. You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills than you do.
However, children and young people still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online. Issues that your child may encounter on the internet will vary depending on their age and online activities. The purpose of this page of our website is to offer you help and advice along the way.
We at St. Mary’s are committed to working together with you to ensure all the children are safe and smart online!
Game Ratings
Use PEGI to research age ratings on games your child/ren play or would like to play.
Click here to access: https://pegi.info/
What is PEGI?
The 'Pan European Game Information' service. You can use this service free of charge to check out existing and new games. Here is some more information from PEGI's website:
Age ratings are systems used to ensure that entertainment content, such as games, but also films, tv shows or mobile apps, is clearly labelled with a minimum age recommendation based on the content they have. These age ratings provide guidance to consumers, parents in particular, to help them decide whether or not to buy a particular product for a child.
Video games are enjoyed by a very diverse group of players throughout Europe. Both children and adults, men and women, play games regularly, either on a dedicated game console, a personal computer, or a mobile device like a smartphone or a tablet.
While most games are suitable for players of all ages, others are only suitable for older children and young teenagers. A specific portion of games on the market contain content that is only appropriate for an adult audience.
The PEGI rating considers the age suitability of a game, not the level of difficulty. A PEGI 3 game will not contain any inappropriate content, but can sometimes be too difficult to master for younger children. Reversely, there are PEGI 18 games that are very easy to play, yet they contain elements that make them inappropriate for a younger audience.
PEGI is used and recognised throughout Europe and has the enthusiastic support of the European Commission. It is considered as a model of European harmonisation in the field of the protection of children.
Pokemon GO!
What is it: A mobile phone App that is a game based on your real life location to catch virtual creatures.
Fast Points:
- Pokemon Go is a fast growing popular game that lots of children across the country and even world play.
- It's FREE to download.
- However, it does have 'In-App Purchases' to spend money (£) on virtual coins.
- You have to be 13 or over to download the app, according to the app’s terms and conditions.
- It can encourage exercise and children talking to other players.
- Uses a fair amount of phone battery and data.
Pokemon Go is not something that should come into or interfere with the children at school. However, we all have a responsibility to children's online safety. Please click the guide below for more information!
Hoping this helps!
Stay smart!
Mr. Southall
Online Safety Lead
Online Safety Links
Online Safety Guides
Online Safety Videos
