Mobile phones
Get the message
Now an integral part of children’s lives,
mobile phones are a great way of keeping
in touch and knowing that your child is
safe. But there are some risks to be aware
of, as the Child Exploitation and Online
Protection Centre explains
Make sure your child never gives out their
mobile number to strangers
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No you ng person likes to be without their mobile phone at any
time. Although every parent can be heard complaining about the
bills, they can also be a good way of keeping in touch with family
and friends, and ensuring that your child is safe. Apart from young
people spending all their time chatting to their friends (and not to
you), there are some risks in their use of mobile technology.
- A large proportion of new mobile phones have web access, and more recently mobile
TV has been launched. This means that young people can access content from the
internet and TV wherever they are, and without parental or teacher supervision.
- With the advent of picture and video messaging, young people need to be increasingly
careful about the images they share. It is very easy for inappropriate images to be shared
around a number of phones, changed and even put on-line, where it is impossible to
get back. This is particularly worrying if images are used in child abuse sites.
- Young people also need to be aware that they put themselves at risk of mobile bullying,
or inappropriate intimate contact if they give out their mobile number to people they
don’t fully trust.
- There are now mobile phone operators who sell phones with filtering software
included, so that children won’t access inappropriate websites or content. It is worth
checking that your child’s phone has this capability.
- Remind your child that any image they send on their mobile can be changed and
shared on-line, and that once they have sent an image they have lost control of it.
- Make sure your child understands that they shouldn’t give out personal details such as
their mobile number to strangers, or other young people that they don’t fully trust.
Checklist for your child
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Texting is a great way of staying in touch with friends and family, but sometimes people send nasty messages that can be mean
and upsetting. They can be from people you know, and also from people you don’t know.
- It’s a good idea not to reply to a nasty message and if you get a message that upsets you, you should always tell a trusted
adult. You should also remember that when you send messages, you should be responsible and not send something that might
upset anyone else.
- Sometimes people send junk text messages that are like adverts to people’s mobile numbers, and these are called spam messages.
If you receive a text message from someone you don’t know, delete it and tell an adult.
- Remember – never reply to a spam text message or text message from someone you don’t know, as the person who has sent may
keep on sending messages to you. The messages may also have viruses in them and this can stop your phone from working.
- You should never send a picture message to anyone you don’t know in the real world even if you have been talking to them
on-line and think you know them, or someone you have met through a friend. You never really know who they are if you
haven’t met them face to face. If someone asks you to send them a picture message and you don’t know who they are, you should
tell a trusted adult.
- People sometimes lie about who they are to trick people into giving them their mobile number and personal details, like their
school and where they live. Remember that people you don’t know in the real world are still strangers. Never give your mobile
number to anyone who you don’t know in the real world.
- If you give people your mobile number, even people you have met using the internet, remember you do not really know who they
are. Never arrange to meet up with them as they are strangers.
- N ever arrange to meet up with someone you don’t know and always tell a trusted adult and save the message to show them.
You can change your ringing tone on your phone, as well as the message tone. There are a number of ways you can do this –
from using the tones that are already saved to the phone, to downloading tones from the internet and also by getting tones sent
to you. Remember that to get these tones from the internet or from messaging, it will cost you money so you need to make sure
that the tone you download or order is the right one, otherwise you may end up paying for a tone you don’t want.
For more information, visit:
Website: www.thinkuknow.co.uk
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