Don’t miss our upcoming parent workshop on online safety…
A virtual private network (VPN) gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. For example, this means you can bank securely. VPNs are not difficult to install and use, and there are many apps that can offer this service. Like many things, VPNs can be used for a good…and for bad.
Children can circumnavigate their parental controls via VPN’s. There are VPN apps that can be downloaded that allow children to have a virtual private network. This allows them to access unsuitable sites and due to the fact that the VPN can make it look like you are in another time zone they can be accessed at anytime of the day. When children have been questioned as to how they found out about VPN’s they have said it’s either by word of mouth from their peers or it has popped up whilst watching YouTube.’
Useful websites for further information:
Childnet: Parent resource sheets
Internet Matters
#Goldilocks: A fairytale for the digital age Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
#Goldilocks is a modern twist on the classic fairy tale that offers a fun and accessible way for you to discuss all things social media related with your younger children. Co-branded by Vodafone UK and Andersen Press, award-winning author Jeanne Willis created the light-hearted story alongside illustrator Tony Ross. The book is designed to help educate children about the potential consequences of being unkind, getting carried away with selfies, or oversharing images, as we see Goldilocks getting into trouble with the three bears over her pursuit of likes on social media….
#Goldilocks Digital Book can be downloaded here:
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vfcon096113.pdf
#Goldilocks Activity Sheet here:
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vfcon096114.pdf