Whitmore High School pupils stay safe online this summer

The evolving nature of the online world brings new risks from harmful content on social media or gaming. These are risks that can have real and sometime long-lasting impacts on children's safety and well-being. With the summer break ahead, these risks can increase with young people more likely to spend time online, on their phones and gaming.

At Whitmore High School pupils take part in surveys to discover the issues that most concern them the most and then bespoke lessons are delivered to tackle them.

Lynne Neagle met a Year 9 Pupil Voice Group at the school who are proactive in responding to emerging online issues to help create a resilient culture across the school. They gave feedback on previous online safety lessons and shared their views on future topics they would like to discuss.

Topics under discussion included AI, online bullying, sextortion, sharing nudes and sexual harassment. In one lesson pupils explored the impact of social media content from online influencers such as Andrew Tate and were given the opportunity to play a positive role in identifying problems with misogynist beliefs.

Cabinet Secretary Lynne Neagle said:

Social media places extraordinary pressure on young people today. From online bullying to the impact on self-esteem and body image, we must listen to our young people, if we are to truly tackle these challenging issues.

It is encouraging to see this approach at Whitmore High where learners are invited to contribute their views and ideas and influence the school's online safety provision. This can make a real difference in equipping our young people with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly, as well as having the confidence to speak up when something doesn't feel right.

Henriette Bertheux, Associate Assistant Head and Head of PSE at Whitmore High School said:

The Pupils Voice Group here at Whitmore have been talking about the impact of social media on their mental health in the lesson today. Enabling young people to speak about the digital well-being issues that are of greatest concern to them, is one of the best ways to safeguard our young people by raising awareness, education and listening to their views.

Two thirds of children aged 3 to 17 use social media apps and children aged 8 to 17 spend on average between two and five hours online per day. These numbers are growing so understanding how to help young people use social media safely is vital.

The Keeping Safe Online area of Hwb has all the latest support and practical help for teachers on emerging, high priority issues and information on the current trends in online behaviour of children and young people.

As well as resources for schools, Hwb provides support for parents and carers including an overview of the latest social media and gaming apps and a guide on how to have a conversation with a child about a sensitive issue. Children and young people aged 9 to 17 are invited to complete a short survey (closes 31 July) to share their views on the apps they use and how they use them.

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