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  • Potential risks associated with Vaping

    Published 07/06/23

    Dear Parents/Carers,

    This week I would like to draw your attention to concerns around vaping. While in the past it may be marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, it is crucial for parents and carers to be aware of the potential risks associated with vaping.

    Health Risks:

    Vaping exposes individuals to various harmful substances, including nicotine, chemicals, and potentially toxic aerosol particles. The long-term effects of vaping are still being studied, but early research suggests it can lead to:

    1. Nicotine addiction: Vaping products often contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can have a significant impact on a young person's developing brain.
    2. Respiratory issues: Vaping can cause lung damage and respiratory problems, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. It may also increase the risk of respiratory infections.
    3. Cardiovascular problems: Studies have shown that vaping can negatively affect heart health and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
    4. Adverse effects on mental health: Evidence suggests a link between vaping and increased anxiety, depression, and mood disorders in adolescents.

    Gateway to Smoking:

    Vaping can serve as a gateway to traditional cigarette smoking. Research indicates that young people who start with vaping are more likely to progress to smoking cigarettes later on.

    Unknown Long-Term Effects:

    Since vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, the long-term health consequences are not yet fully understood. However, early studies raise concerns about potential risks to overall health and well-being.

    We would encourage you to explore resources on the risks of vaping. The following websites provide valuable insights and evidence-based advice:

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

    BBC health

    By educating ourselves about the dangers of vaping, we can have open and informed conversations with our children, helping them make healthy choices. It is important to maintain an ongoing dialogue with your child, discussing the risks associated with vaping and reinforcing the importance of making responsible decisions.

    If you have any concerns or require further support, please do not hesitate to contact us.

    Kind regards,
     
    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head
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  • What Parents & Carers need to know about Telegram

    Published 16/05/23

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  • Online Gaming

    Published 07/03/23

    Online Gaming

    White Hatter have produced an excellent article for the parents of gamers. This is written about Canada, but is relevant internationally:
     
     
    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head
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  • Online awareness and parental controls

    Published 22/02/23

    Online awareness and parental controls

     
    We often highlight to parents and carers the areas of the Internet which pose the most obvious risks to our young people. However, the tactics that online offenders use are not always obvious. We all know that criminals will use a variety of social engineering tactics, but to be able to use those tactics there has to be some form of engagement, which requires communication features. Whether that is messaging on Snapchat or chatting within a video game, if there is a communication feature, then there is a potential risk to any child or young person. 
     
    We have recently been made aware of online extremists targeting young people playing games as a means of introducing radical views, and even the chat option on Spotify being used to initiate abusive relationships. As always, we would encourage all parents and carers to take an active interest in regulating what our young people are doing online and their communications.
     
    Internet matters have produced some helpful guidance on parental controls here:
     
    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head
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  • Vaping/ e-Cigarettes

    Published 18/01/23
    Vaping/ e-Cigarettes

    The long-term health effects of vaping are still not clear, but the legal age to use or purchase vapes and associated materials is 18, and they should not be sold to, or used by, school children. As with any age-restricted item, bringing such material into school will have serious consequences. 

    Vapes are also ecologically disastrous: 1.3 million single-use vapes are being thrown in UK landfills every week: enough to cover 22 football pitches in a year. Single-use vapes made up 52 percent of all vapes bought in the UK amongst 18 to 34 year-olds last year.

    We have heard that there are some newsagents and other outlets in the local area who have been selling vapes to under 18s without carrying out rigorous age checks. An additional concern is that some vapes are being designed to look quite innocuous, such as single use Elf Bars, pictured above.

    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head

     

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  • Useful Feature on YouTube & Personal Gmail Accounts

    Published 11/01/23

    Useful Feature on YouTube & Personal Gmail Accounts

    Useful new features on YouTube and YouTube Kids
    YouTube is hugely popular, but historically parents haven't had a lot of control over what their children can/cannot watch. Things have changed and YouTube now gives parents and carers a greater degree of control. The page below has a few short videos of newer features that can help you on YouTube and YouTube Kids. 

    Personal Gmail accounts
    Parents and carers may also wish to encourage children to set up their own Gmail account to be able to manage accounts for children much more effectively e.g. managing the account via a Google Family Link. Once done, parents can set up 'Supervised Experience' on YouTube which gives the option of 3 levels of content filtering, based on the age of the child, and managing this from a single parental account. 

    Please remember that students should not be using their BGS Gmail accounts for anything unrelated to school.

    https://www.esafety-adviser.com/youtube-parental-restrictions/

    Happy New Year,

    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head

     

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  • Setting up devices & Safety/privacy settings on social media

    Published 14/12/22

    Setting up devices

    It can be difficult knowing all the different settings that are available on different devices to help protect children, this includes allowing or disallowing chat, friends, spending money, content filters and much more. On these pages from Internet Matters you will find the details, as well as
    non-technical instructions, which will help you understand what is available to you and how to set up your child's devices.

    Gaming consoles and devices
    https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/gaming-consoles/

    Smartphones
    https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/smartphones-and-other-devices/

    Broadband and mobile networks
    https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/

    Entertainment and search engines
    https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/entertainment-search-engines/
     

    Safety/privacy settings on social media

    With many children and young people using social media it is important to understand what features are available to you to help protect your children. This is also important because for the most part, all privacy settings are default 'off' when a new account is created, but also because some social media providers change their features quite frequently, e.g. TikTok.
    You can look at this link to see what is available to you and how to set up your child's social media. We would also advise doing this with your child so that you can discuss the features together.

    https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/

    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head

     

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  • Phone Smart License - Preparing your kids to be kind and stay safe online

    Published 23/11/22

    Phone Smart License - Preparing your kids to be kind and stay safe online

    EE provides a course for parents and children to help navigate the world when using smartphones. This is available to users of any network. It covers key aspects of online behaviour, from cyberbullying to fake news and has fun quizzes, interactive elements and pop-up facts to help children learn vital online dos and don'ts. Parent and guardians also get their own dashboards to check on your child’s progress, follow the Episodes they are doing and get extra support and resources. 

    You can download this here:

    https://eephonesmart.co.uk/

    Mr S Auckland, DSL and Deputy Head

     

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  • Young People's Wellbeing in a Digital World

    Published 16/11/22

    Young People's Wellbeing in a Digital World

    Internet matters have put together an excellent report on young people feeling in control of their lives. This report explores how the mindful use of digital technology can benefit our wellbeing. Using the example of managing screen time, it shows the value of not just counting time spent online, but also reflecting on what we are doing with that time.

    You can read it in full here:

    https://www.internetmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TikTok-Agency-Report-ENG.pdf

    Mr S Auckland, DSL and Deputy Head

     

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  • Online extremism & school and personal email addresses

    Published 05/10/22

    Online extremism

    We have been made aware of extremist speakers circulating on various online platforms including TikTok. As always, parents and carers should be aware of and regulate what our young people are sharing and viewing online. Internet Matters have produced some useful support for parents in learning about the issues, protecting children from them and knowing how to deal with them:

    https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/radicalisation/

    School and personal email addresses

    A reminder to all parents / carers that students should have their own personal email for anything outside of school. Bexley Grammar School email addresses should only be used for school communication. 

    Mr S Auckland, Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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