The internet — and the technological revolution more generally — has revolutionised our lives in the last twenty years or so, bringing enormous benefits to society. At the same time, online safety, especially in relation to young people and social media, has become one of the major public health issues of our time. Apart from anything else, it is to do with keeping people safe from harm.
Ridgeway High School promotes e-safety and the prevention of cyberbullying. Bullying in any form has no place at Ridgeway.
Note: We keep advice and guidance on this page for as long as possible, but please bear in mind that technology changes very quickly and so some of the older information may now be out of date.
We subscribe to a monthly newsletter about online safety.
If you are sometimes a bit baffled by the apps that young people use, the online games they play or the language associated with digital technology – or if you just want to be sure that your child is safe and not inadvertently putting themselves at risk in any way – the monthly newsletters are definitely for you. They are written specifically with families in mind.
Click below to read and/or download a handy, easy-to-follow presentation for parents about online safety produced in 2024.
This infographic was produced during the 2020 Covid lockdown but the tips are still relevant.
Some of the links in the older documents may no longer work.
This PDF has really useful information about cyberbullying, including how you can help keep your child safe and what to do if your child is a victim of cyberbullying.
TikTok has now been downloaded over 2 billion times. This PDF collects together advice given in previous newsletters about the risks of TikTok and how to use it safely.
Zoom is an app that allows the user to meet people via video, audio or both. It has become extremely popular during the coronavirus emergency.
The factsheet below is written by the people who produce our monthly online-safety newsletters. It includes information about what Zoom is and what some of the risks are for people using it. It also outlines some simple steps you can take to reduce those risks.
Houseparty is a face-to-face (video) social network available either as an app or in a web version. It has become one of the most downloaded free apps in the UK from both Android and Apple iOS smartphone stores and is extremely popular with young people.
The factsheet below is written by the people who produce our monthly online-safety newsletters. It includes information about what Houseparty is and what some of the risks are for people using it. It also outlines some simple steps you can take to reduce those risks.
National Online Safety is an independent online-safety training provider working to keep children safe online.
Every Wednesday, they produce a new, handy, short and easy-to-understand guide relating to some aspect of online safety. They call their campaign #WakeUpWednesday.
Here are some of their guides:
Click here to visit their website to see all their resources. Please note that you may need to sign up with them to access some of their resources.
In our list of useful links below, you will find more information about keeping young people safe online.
Thinkuknow – e-safety advice for young people of all ages and for parents
BBC Share Take Care – advice and support for parents on setting ‘parental tools’ to manage what children are exposed to online
Parent Info – advice and support for parents with all aspects of e-safety
