Safer Internet Day: Assembly

This week, our academy took a proactive step toward digital citizenship. Mrs. Champ and our dedicated team of Digital Champions led an engaging and informative assembly to mark Safer Internet Day. The children did a fantastic job of describing how AI features in day-to-day modern life. The assembly focused on empowering students to make smart choices online, emphasising that being "tech-savvy" also means being "tech-safe."

Top Tips for parents and carers of 3-7s

Throughout this module, each week’s Best of Bearsted entry will share a specific "Top Tip" designed to help parents and carers navigate the world of AI. We want to empower you with the knowledge to keep you and your loved ones safe online.

This week's top tips are for younger pupils, but relevant for the whole family:

Enjoy going online together

Spending time online together with family is an important learning experience for the youngest internet users. Not only will you both enjoy the quality time together, but you can supervise their usage and guide them to make the safest choices.

Talk about their online experiences

Help give your child the words to explain what they’re experiencing online by starting conversations about the internet and technology as early as possible. Talking regularly about what they love doing online, as well as any worries they may have, will help establish this habit and mean they’re more likely to come to you for help as they get older.

Make use of settings and controls

Parental controls and other safety settings can help protect your child from online harms, including upsetting or inappropriate content. Think about how your child uses technology, for example if you have a smart TV or a voice assistant at home, and explore specific settings to support your household.

Introduce simple ideas about AI technology

You don’t need to be a computing expert to start conversations at home about AI. Explaining that a voice assistant is a computer, not a person, or helping your child to understand that not everything they see online is real, is a good start. Encourage them to ask questions about the technology in their lives, and even if you don’t know the answers, you can find them out together.

Make sure they know they can always come to you

The most important thing for your child to know is that you are always there to support them, online and offline. Encourage them to talk to you if anything they experience makes them feel worried or upset, and show them they can trust you to stay calm, listen and help make things better.