The Safeguarding Community: For Everyone, Everywhere Involved in Safeguarding
The Safeguarding Company’s Head of Community Relations, Vikkey Chaffe, explains why she created The Safeguarding Community and the impact it will have for all those involved in safeguarding. Why is there such a need for our “Safeguarders” to connect with each other? Working in safeguarding can involve harrowing cases, demanding situations, challenging conversations, and upsetting circumstances. Many Safeguarding leads deal with this alone. We sometimes need a safe space where we can support each other, learn from each other, share our experiences and talk to people who are dealing with the same situations. What will the Community look like? We have invested in a particular platform to host our community, rather than a free social media platform. We have done this to ensure our community is secure and will allow us to make sure the community has been created to meet the needs of our “Safeguarders”. We will monitor the community and have ground rules so that everyone feels supportive and respected. What are some of the features of the Safeguarding Community? We will have three different rooms for different needs. Our Staff Room: where everyone can ask broad questions and share resources. Our International Room specifically for international safeguarding queries and our Safe Room, with anonymous posting for issues too sensitive and confidential to go in the ‘Staff Room’. Will people need to pay to join this community? This community is free and open to everyone involved in safeguarding. We believe that giving you a safe place to communicate will make a significant difference to your wellbeing. There will be free resources and blogs but above all, the ability to connect with others involved in safeguarding. Join the community and connect with others involved in safeguarding who understand how challenging safeguarding can be. The Safeguarding Company Contact Details Telephone: (+44) 0330 6600 757 Email: info@thesafeguardingcompany.com Web: https://www.thesafeguardingcompany.com
Aquaswitch helps schools save on their business water rates
The public accounts committee has recently warned that one in four secondary schools are in deficit and having to work through budget cuts. According to parliament’s spending watchdog, children’s education is being eroded by the financial pressure, with authority-run secondary schools among the worst hit. Schools on the lookout for pain-free ways of reducing overheads have found significant savings by switching water suppliers Can schools switch their water supplier? Yes, in 2017, the English non-household water market for water was deregulated, allowing schools to choose who supplies them with water services. Unlike other utilities such as electricity and gas, most schools have never considered comparing or switching water tariffs. The deregulated market for water has reached its fifth birthday, and the available savings in the market are now significant. How much could my school save? Comparing water quotes is a simple process with AquaSwitch. Search for your school on our smart-postcode finder to request a business water comparison report. The AquaSwitch business water comparison service will compare your current default tariff to options available from across the market. With the AquaSwitch hassle-free switch, we’ve helped schools save thousands on their water bills. AquaSwitch also offers you the chance to compare business energy and save on your energy bills.
A quarter of British 6–11-year-olds have chosen their tech devices over spending time with friends in person
A quarter (25%) of British ‘Generation Alpha’, children born after 2010, would rather spend time on their iPad, tablet, smart speaker or other devices than socialise with their peers in person, according to exclusive online research from global cloud communications platform Infobip. The research, commissioned with global public opinion firm YouGov, polled British children aged 6–11 years old and found that a fifth of girls (20%) and nearly a third (30%) of boys have chosen spending time with devices over spending time with friends in person. The survey aimed to assess the impact technology has in children’s lives at home and at school in a unique study which polled children directly. Results reveal strong appetite for the use of technology in the classroom: two-thirds (67%) of 6-11 year olds would like to use a tablet for learning in school, and over a third (35%) believe VR headsets would make a welcome addition to the classroom. In fact, nearly two-thirds (64%) would like to use laptops in classrooms, three-fifths (61%) would like to use smartboards, and a third (32%) would like to use smartphones. Meanwhile, nearly half (48%) of Generation Alpha already use their own devices for schoolwork. The research also found that: Two-thirds (66%) of Generation Alpha started using tablets such as iPads by the age of five or younger. Incredibly, a third (34%) of Generation Alpha children have used a tablet by the age of just three years old or younger. Two-fifths (42%) say they have been speaking to smart speakers from the age of six or younger. Half (48%) of Generation Alpha spend at least an hour a day on their iPad or tablet. In terms of the most popular ways to communicate, over a third (37%) of 6–11-year-olds surveyed are on WhatsApp – with nearly three-quarters (73%) of 11 year olds well-versed in this channel. SMS isn’t far behind, with almost a third (29%) of Generation Alpha still using this more traditional texting method and a third (35%) using Facetime. Catherine Thevenot, Professor in Cognitive Developmental Psychology at the University of Lausanne, said: “Generation Alpha has embraced technology like no generation before it. With the advent of the virtual classroom, the pandemic heightened reliance on tablets and laptops, with video-conferencing replacing the white board, and keyboards replacing pencils and paper. Children are now back in classrooms, but the way they have learnt over the past two years will shape the way they view the world and how they study – and after that, the world of work – for decades to come. “With these rapid technological changes, the impetus is on the adults in their lives to guide them to use digital tools for learn and play in the most positive and safe way possible – both in the home and the classroom – to ensure these digital experiences will enrich this future generation as potential employees and active citizens.” Giuseppe Perrone, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Infobip, said: “Despite all the headlines about Millennials and Generation Z, it is Generation Alpha who have been surrounded by technology since the moment they were born. They are learning habits that are radically different from the ones older generations developed at an early age. They are accustomed to a world of efficiency and smart technology, so when they’re presented with problems, they expect to be able to receive swift answers and solutions.” To better understand the opinions of teachers, as well as identify challenges and solutions, a focus group was organised by Roots Research, to which teachers from across the UK were invited to share their perspectives. Points of view from teachers in the UK* Location Age of the children in their classrooms Quote Teacher in Brighton, East Sussex 6–7-year-olds “I think that the jobs Generation Alpha children will have when they grow up do not even exist yet.” Teacher in Brighton, East Sussex 7–8-year-olds “Both boys and girls are really enjoying and embracing the use of technology equally. When I now ask some of the girls what they want to be when they are older, many of them say they would like to be a gamer, so it’s no longer seen as a ‘boy thing’ to do.” Teacher in Solihull, West Midlands 5–6-year-olds “There are positives to technology, however, I have found there are some downsides: kids who are glued to devices are lacking in their communication and social skills. For some children who use tech in the wrong way, overuse of these devices is having a detrimental effect.” “Kids have iPads at home but the way they use them at school differs. Our very first lesson for each term is internet safety. We must train kids on how to use technology safely and what they can do, and who they can turn to, if something doesn’t feel right. It’s so important that this first lesson is spent drilling e-safety into their heads.” Teacher in Oldham, Greater Manchester 7–8-year-olds “We’ve kept on using software on iPads and computers for homework which were first introduced due to lockdown. We have kept this on as it engages children better particularly if there are recorded clips from teachers.” Giuseppe Perrone, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Infobip concludes: “When implemented correctly, technology in the classroom can be a great tool to engage children and inspire learning. Outside of the classroom, technology is all around them, both as an aid to learn, as well as play. It is up to the adults in their lives – both parents and teachers – to ensure this technology is used positively, inclusively and safely.” * The quotes were gained from a focus group that took place on the 10th of November 2021 and was organised by Roots Research.
NCFE and WorldSkills UK launch third phase of applications for Centre of Excellence
A technical training firm has opened applications for its Centre of Excellence training programme. NCFE, in partnership with WorldSkills UK, is seeking people for the third year of its scheme training technical educators. With the second year of the programme currently underway, the scheme is already showing positive results from its first-year participants. An online survey of learners revealed that a significant majority (86%) said that they would be able to apply the skills they had learnt to their education and work. Notably, 80% of respondents also stated that these skills would also be applicable to other parts of their life. In terms of the sessions undertaken, 91% of respondents rated these as excellent or good. Meanwhile, 97% of practitioners who have been taking part in the Centre of Excellence’s cascading Continued Professional Development (CPD) programme said the quality of the session they took part in was excellent or good. Correspondingly, 77% said the CPD session they took part in was extremely relevant or very relevant to the courses that they teach, while 74% said it had had a major or substantial positive impact in their motivation to make changes to improve their teaching and training practice. The Centre of Excellence is a revolutionary training programme for technical education educators that will advance the sector and benefit learners. NCFE has partnered with WorldSkills UK to create this programme to drive change within colleges and training providers. WorldSkills UK is employing its expertise of global advancements in skills, while NCFE brings its knowledge of technical education to help educators fulfil their potential. The overarching aim of the programme is to inspire more learners of all backgrounds to pursue technical and vocational education as a highly effective route to success. The three-year pilot began in September 2020, but eventually the programme will be available to hundreds of colleges and training providers nationwide. Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK, said: “As the international arm of the UK skills systems, WorldSkills UK is uniquely placed to use our knowledge of world-class standards and global best practice to support the development of high quality skills employers need now and in the future. “The hugely popular Centre of Excellence supercharges the quality and delivery of technical and vocational education by transferring international expertise and knowledge to support the professional development of educators and is key to helping create a world-class skills economy across the UK.” David Gallagher, CEO at NCFE said: “We know that we can’t have world class education without world class educators and that’s why we’re so committed to investing our resources in this initiative, which is driving forward positive change and unlocking excellence for everyone. “Based on deep insight and learner need, the Centre of Excellence supports UK-wide delivery of best practice in the technical and vocational space. In doing so, we’re creating a cohort of learners who will be well-equipped to facilitate a skills-based levelling up of the UK economy. “We look forward to seeing the full results of the initial pilot, but also to seeing the longer-term impact on the education sector as a whole. We’d like to encourage other organisations to collaborate with us on this, so please do get in touch if you’re interested in hearing more.” Web: https://www.ncfe.org.uk
Barnardo’s launch educational resources to help schools tackle sexual harassment and abuse
Barnardo’s says much more needs to be done to protect children from sexual abuse, exploitation, and extremism, so is launching a new version of its educational programme, Real Love Rocks. It comes after the results from an Ofsted rapid review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges. The investigation took place after the Everyone’s Invited website revealed testimonials which showed how prevalent sexual abuse has been in schools over the years. Ofsted found that almost four-fifths (79%) of girls surveyed had been sexually assaulted. Eighty-one per cent had been the subject of rumours about sexual activity and 80% had faced inappropriate or unwanted sexual comments. And a report from the Internet Watch Foundation showed that last year was the highest year on record for online child sexual abuse. (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/13/2021-was-worst-year-on-record-for-online-child-sex-abuse-says-iwf) Barnardo’s originally launched Real Love Rocks in 2014 and has updated and refreshed the resources to reflect and raise awareness of different types of abuse and exploitation that children and young people may experience. These include child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, radicalisation and extremism. This edition also emphasises the importance of emotional regulation and creating a support network of safe and trusted people. There are also sections about developing kindness, understanding and empathy for both themselves and others. The age-appropriate resources have been designed to help teachers and other professionals talk to children and young people about difficult issues such as consent, grooming, technology, bullying, pornography, sexual harassment and appropriate and inappropriate relationships. They have been produced with the Department for Education’s statutory guidance about Relationships Education in primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education in secondary schools in mind. And they have been designed in collaboration with young people who have bravely shared their experiences. Barnardo’s Chief Executive Lynn Perry said: “All children and young people need access to high quality, age-appropriate information and advice about issues like consent, healthy relationships and the risk of harm on and offline. “Our new resources are designed to help children understand their emotions, empathise with others, and develop the support networks we know are vital. “We hope Real Love Rocks will help teachers to tackle difficult topics in the classroom, including sexual abuse and criminal exploitation.” Both the primary and secondary education packs and the website have been designed to engage children and young people in a fun and empowering way through animations, activities, and games. The primary school edition of the resources has been designed for use with 10 and 11-year-olds with topics including feelings, brains and bodies, relationship, grooming, exploitation and abuse, and online safety. Topics covered in the secondary school edition are feelings, brains and bodies, relationships and consent, grooming and exploitation, and technology and relationships. All the issues are tackled in a trauma-informed and age-appropriate way, for example activities around consent for secondary school children start with a discussion about someone’s phone being taken without their consent. Other activities include understanding what sexual harassment is, where children explore dilemmas, identify and challenge behaviours and learn about who can help if it is happening. Activities for primary school children include talking through different scenarios like not being invited to play with friends or being dared to do challenges that are not okay and discussing how these things would make them feel. And the online safety section encourages children to explore what they watch online and how this makes them feel. It also includes activities around misinformation, scams and inappropriate content to help children navigate the multiple harms they face in our ever-changing modern world. The resources and website (https://barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/) include everything teachers, school counsellors, youth workers and other professionals will need to run the programme for children and young people.
Concern over pupil absence surge amid teacher shortage pressures
Pupil absence is surging just a month after figures appeared to be at their best since the pandemic began. The number of children off school with coronavirus related attendance restrictions has more than doubled in a fortnight. The worsening picture comes just a month on from attendance being at its highest since May 2021. The DfE has recently updated its school attendance guidance, meaning schools will no longer have to distinguish between Covid-related absence when recording attendance Figures suggest the overall increase is related to pupils having to isolate despite not testing positive with secondary school absences due to “exceptional circumstances” tripling from 11,900 on 17 March to 30,100 on 31 March. Partial school closures due to teacher shortages is also thought to be an issue. Department for Education data reveals a slight fall in overall attendance between 17-31 March, despite fewer pupils being recorded as absent for Covid-related reasons. Covid-related pupil absence officially fell from 202,000 (2.5 per cent) on 17 March to 178,800 (2.2 per cent) on 31 March. The DfE acknowledged the figures for pupils isolating and with confirmed cases of Covid “may be impacted by levels of testing”. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said the union was continuing to hear a “sense of deep frustration from school leaders as they struggle to deal with the significant and ongoing disruption caused by Covid”. “We all assumed ‘living with Covid’ meant there would be very low case levels – this is clearly not the case and absence rates remain at concerningly high levels.” Mr Whiteman added that school leaders felt they have been “abandoned”. “The ongoing risk of illness and chaos caused by staff absence, not to mention the mounting pressure of exams, Sats and Ofsted, is unsustainable. Our members, and education, are at breaking point.” Simon Carter, Director at EdTech firm RM, commented: “A careful analysis of the latest figures from the Department for Education suggests that the number of pupils absent from school last week has risen to well over a million – a 100,000 increase in the last fortnight – which may generate some tough soul-searching amongst many educators. “Despite Government COVID-19 restrictions lifting and the UK economy stabilising, it’s concerning to see that the number of school children missing classes remains at record levels. And the school workforce is taking a similar hit, with over 100,000 teachers and teaching assistants unable to attend their schools last week. “But that introspection is, at least on this occasion, something that many of us can take in our stride – while this news might once have been enough to bring schools and colleges to their knees, the digital transformation of education institutions across the UK that happened over lockdown has evolved into a newfound resilience that protects learning outcomes whatever the circumstances. “Thanks to an effectively developed hybrid learning structure in schools, educators are better positioned than ever before to continue the education of children – even if they are stuck indoors. To do so in a way that works for parents and students alike, schools simply need to ensure their staff are able to make the best use of the technology that most schools have already invested in to continue to teach and engage with students – whether they are in class or working remotely. “After two years of being upended by the COVID-19 crisis, now is the time for education institutions to batten down the hatches and reap the rewards of the hard work done to digitally transform teaching materials in 2020 and 2021. For schools that are as keen now to upskill their staff and students in all things digital as they were over lockdown, education will undoubtedly remain a constant for young people – whatever is thrown their way.”
New WiFi for Future Proofing Your School
Redway Networks is an independent networking specialist with expertise in the planning, design and installation of enterprise wireless networks that help education establishments improve the student experience through reliable network connectivity. We deliver complete cloud networking solutions using ‘best of breed’ products at the forefront of technology through our partnerships with the world’s leading wireless technology vendors. We can help you replace your school’s outdated, legacy equipment with next-generation WiFi that offers superior connectivity and security, so you have the bandwidth and capacity to support all your educational technology needs and total peace of mind for protecting your students and staff whilst they connect remotely. If your school isn’t quite ready to take the leap to WiFi 6, we can help you improve the performance of your existing network and get the best from your existing solution with troubleshooting and remedial works until you are ready to upgrade to a more superior wireless network. WiFi surveys A WiFi survey is a vital part of planning and designing your new wireless network and can mean the difference between an average or outstanding performance. We specialise in Ekahau the leading accreditation and technology for enterprise wireless design and troubleshooting and all our engineers are Ekahau Certified. We will guide you through the complete design process so you have an affordable, resilient solution that will support your school’s future network capacity for the next ten years. Our WiFi surveys include: Professional Onsite Surveys Predictive surveys New wireless design surveys Fault finding and remedial works Pre and post-deployment surveys WiFi 6/6E Solutions We are education wireless experts and provide WiFi 6 solutions that power new and improved user experiences. Our WiFi 6 solutions offer faster speeds for enhanced access to learning applications and more density for classroom environments. We only partner with the leading wireless technology vendors that are fit for purpose so whether you are a small primary school or large university, you will benefit from seamless connectivity, more reliability, superior security and faster WiFi speeds, with complete network visibility and easy cloud-management. Schools, colleges, and universities are seeing increased use of new learning technologies like immersive learning via augmented and virtual reality and with the cost of AR/VR reducing, we will see these technologies becoming more and more important for learning, hence the need for superior WiFi. Consistent data throughput in dense classroom environments Wider coverage range Increased reliability and reduced disconnections Additional frequency spectrum for future educational technology and IoT Power savings for wireless devices Improved outdoor performance Next generation Switching Network switches are the foundation of any school or college network and are expected to last anywhere from 5 to 10 years or more. In today’s modern networks, switches must be highly reliable, easy to manage at scale, and compatible with the latest technologies for the foreseeable future as your network grows. There are many components to installing and maintaining a healthy switching network, and each requires dedicated resources. At Redway Networks, we provide cloud networking technologies as these can drastically reduce the amount of time and effort necessary to maintain a modern school network, whilst still providing a secure, efficient, and reliable solution. We provide zero touch cloud provisioning solutions to schools and colleges that deliver low total cost of ownership as they reduce the costs associated with configuration and significantly recover the costs of a network refresh over the lifetime of the deployment. Visibility and control over a school’s entire edge network Ability to configure many stacked ports simultaneously with zero-touch provisioning Identifies and classifies traffic, applications and devices across the network Delivers complete network visibility and defends against threats Cloud Managed Firewalls Network security is a top priority in the education sector as with the number of connected devices increasing so does the threat, so your network protection needs to adapt in line with your network to safeguard your school or college against cyberattacks. At Redway Networks, we know the importance of keeping your network safe so provide a range of threat management solutions that protect your network, from security and SD-WAN to cloud-managed firewalls and web filtering software. All our solutions are from the world-leading security vendors and are cloud-managed meaning installation and remote management are simple. Comprehensive suite of network services SD-WAN and auto VPN capabilities Application-based Firewalling Content and Web Filtering Intrusion detection and Malware protection Systems Management Our cloud-based systems management solutions enable you to manage the deployment of all your devices and applications. Devices will connect securely to the cloud, enabling you to locate devices, deploy software and applications, deliver content, enforce security policies, and monitor all your devices through an intuitive and powerful web-based dashboard. You will be able to seamlessly manage and control thousands of iOS and Android devices, Macs, and PCs via a secure, browser-based dashboard. Network management from a single dashboard Complete visibility and control from the top of the network to the edge from WiFi, switches, Firewall to client devices New updates are delivered effortlessly to the dashboard via the cloud Intuitive dashboard enables IT to configure and deploy in minutes Full installation and support services Our certified network engineers provide the highest levels of technical product advice and go ‘above and beyond’ to deliver an exceptional service with a right first-time approach. From the start of your project, our focus is to deliver a strong design based on accurate data and our experience in the education sector, so your school, college or university gets optimum performance from its new network. We always place superior customer service at the core of our business, which is why we are 100% client recommended. To find out more visit https://www.redwaynetworks.com/education-wifi
The Big Bang Competition entry deadline has been extended
The deadline for entries to The Big Bang Competition has been extended to Monday 4 April (5pm). This extension will allow for more projects to be entered into the Competition while providing more time for competitors to make the final touches on their project. Inquisitive young people with an idea to invent something to transform people’s lives or use scientific research to find solutions could win the prestigious title of UK Young Scientist or UK Young Engineer of the Year. The winners of The Big Bang Competition will be announced at The Big Bang Fair, taking place for the first time since the global pandemic disrupted normal life, from Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 June 2022 at the NEC, Birmingham. Bethan Padbury, Event Executive at EngineeringUK and a previous winner of The Big Bang Competition, said: “The Big Bang Competition helped me find my confidence in ways that I didn’t get from school. I felt like I could succeed in bringing my ideas to life and making something that before only existed in my head. I found out I could stand in a room of industry professionals and explain my work to them. The Competition made me feel strong and capable and I could see myself with a role in STEM in the future.” Projects can be on any topic in the field of STEM, from health to the environment and from computing to design and technology. They can be conducted using simple everyday items or carried out in a scientific laboratory, in school or at home, it’s all about the idea and the enthusiasm behind it. Curious students have produced projects to investigate better management of health conditions like diabetes or obsessive-compulsive disorder or how STEM can improve the world around them such as biodegradable plastics. Others have created prototypes of 3D printers, life-saving jackets and apps. Last year’s winner Kaede Sugano (GSK UK Young Engineer of the Year) from Rugby developed a website that compares package holidays using a novel algorithm that she created. Kell Johnston (GSK UK Young Scientist of the Year) from Hexham, Northumberland won for a project that aimed to determine whether ‘willow water’ extract could be used to promote root growth for a range of different plant cuttings. Previous winners of The Competition have gone on to enjoy a range of achievements on the back of their successes – including, getting backing from businesses for their projects, setting up their own businesses, taking part in conference presentations to industry professionals as well as appearing on the television and radio shows to talk about their projects. The Competition is open for entries until 4 April – students and teachers should find out more and enter here https://www.thebigbang.org.uk/the-big-bang-competition . Entry guidance can be found on the Big Bang website, and students can discover top tips here https://www.thebigbang.org.uk/the-big-bang-competition/sign-up-for-competition-top-tips/
Concern over the rise of TikTots – young children accessing social media
The UK’s media regulator Ofcom has raised concerns about the levels of very young children accessing social media. New Ofcom research has revealed large percentages of parents are allowing youngsters to use TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Themes emerging from the research include: Multi-screening TikTots. Despite being under the minimum age requirement (13 for most social media sites), 33% of parents of 5-7s and twice as many 8-11s (60%) said they have a social media profile. Older children are most likely to have a profile on Instagram (55% of 12-15s), while younger children aged 8-11 were more likely to have profiles on TikTok (34%) and YouTube (27%). TikTok in particular is growing in popularity, even among the youngest age groups; 16% of 3-4 year-olds and 29% of 5-7s use the platform. And the popularity of short-form content could be linked to multi-screening, with more children reporting difficulties in focusing on a single online activity. Children reported being unable to watch films, or other long-form content, without being on multiple devices at the same time. In fact, only 4% of children aged 3-17 say they never do anything else while watching TV. Concealing life online. Many children could be tactically using other accounts or ‘finstas’ – fake Instagrams – to conceal aspects of their online lives from parents. Two-thirds of 8-11-year-olds had multiple accounts or profiles (64%). Among these, almost half (46%) have an account just for their family to see. A fifth of 16-17 years-olds (20%) choose to have separate profiles dedicated to a hobby such as skateboarding, gaming or photography. More than a third of children (35%) reported engaging in potentially risky behaviours, which could hinder a parent or guardian keeping proper checks on their online use. A fifth surfed in incognito mode (21%), or deleted their browsing history (19%), and one in 20 circumvented parental controls put in place to stop them visiting certain apps and sites (6%). Scrolling over sharing. Children are seeing less video content from friends online, and more from brands, celebrities and influencers. Feeds full of slick professionalised content seem to be encouraging a trend towards scrolling instead of sharing, with both adults (88%) and children (91%) three times as likely to watch videos online, than to post their own videos (30% and 31% respectively). Campaigning, wellbeing and social Samaritans. Children feel positive about the benefits of being online, and many use social media as a force for good. Over half (53%) of 13–17-year-olds feel that being online is good for their mental health, compared with 17% who disagreed. Nearly a quarter of teenagers follow the profiles of activists or campaigners (23%), one in five writes posts in support of causes (21%), while more than one in 10 follow political parties or campaign groups (12%). Eight in ten 13-17 year-olds are using online services to support their personal wellbeing. A quarter said they have learnt about healthy eating online, or have found help with ‘growing-up issues’ like relationships and puberty. A fifth used the internet to follow fitness programmes and health trackers, or to get help when feeling sad, anxious, or worried. Similarly, about one in 10 went online to help with sleep issues, to meditate, or to help them feel energised, with Calm (34%) and Headspace for Kids (29%) the most popular apps used. Young digital natives, who have never known life without the internet, are also sharing their technical skills and supporting others. Most young adult internet users aged 16-24 had helped others to do things online (86%), with half of those (46%) offering assistance weekly. Anisa Morridadi, Founder and CEO of Beatfreeks, who has been training teachers to help children and young people better cope with the digital world they live in, said: “Over the last two years, largely owing to the effects of the pandemic, we’ve seen changes to the concerns, fears and consumption of online content among children and young people. It’s vital we take note, educate and make changes to ensure our young people are able to exist confidently and safely in the online world in which they regularly inhabit. “For the past two years, we have successfully delivered the Be Internet Citizens programme to hundreds of teachers who will reach hundreds of thousands of young people across the country. We have provided teachers with the training and support needed to empower their young people to be safe and have positive voices online. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep each other safe online. This is particularly the case in schools. Research shows that if parents want advice about online safety, their children’s school is usually the first port of call. That means that it is absolutely essential that teachers and other school staff are aware of any developments and trends in online usage and what measures can be taken to restrict access to inappropriate content and help keep children safe.” The Ofcom research also found that more than a third of internet users were unaware that online content might be false or biased. Every minute sees 500 hours of content uploaded to YouTube, 5,000 videos viewed on TikTok and 695,000 stories shared on Instagram. Given the sheer volume of information at the touch of our smartphones, having the right critical skills and understanding to decipher fact from fiction has never been more important. But Ofcom’s study reveals that 30% of UK adults who go online (14.5 million) are unsure about, or don’t even consider, the truthfulness of online information. A further 6% – around one in every twenty internet users – believe everything they see online. Misinformation can spread quickly on social media platforms. More than four in ten adults say they have seen a story on social media that looked deliberately untrue or misleading in the last year. To interrogate this trend, participants were shown social media posts and profiles to determine whether they could verify their authenticity. This reveals that users’ confidence in their ability to spot fake content belies their true critical capabilities. Although seven in