In addition to Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week this week, it’s also Safer Internet Day today (Tuesday 8th).
With this in mind, we thought we’d share some additional information and resources related to children’s mental health and their lives online.
There are lots of resources for professionals on the SWGfL website.
We’re getting more aware than ever just how much online relationships and experiences can impact children’s mental health, please find helpful resources below to use and share.
Parents and Carers
1. Education is Key for both you and them
We can all learn more about how to stay safe online, and it's important that we keep in the loop with new platforms as much as the kids do.
- www.saferinternet.org.uk have easy guides on each different type of social media
- www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk have learning materials for young people of all ages, and activities you can go through together
- www.samaritans.org has lots of advice on how you can support people online
2. There are many ways to monitor and filter information
Making sure all devices in the house have appropriate controls is a great way to put your mind at rest.
- The Internet Matters YouTube channel has over 70 guides on how to set up parental controls on different technologies
- www.internetmatters.org.uk also has advice on social media and privacy settings
- Browser extensions such as R;pple can help to intercept harmful searches
3. Have an honest conversation together
It can be a bit awkward at times, but having a conversation with your children about their online activity and mental health can really help.
- www.nspcc.org.uk has advice on how to talk about online safety, including how to keep topics age-appropriate.
- www.childnet.com has a list of conversation starter ideas and resources such as a family agreement
4. Learn how to report inappropriate behaviour
Inappropriate behaviour from other young people you know should be reported directly (for example, to school), but the advice below can be followed in any situation:
-
www.samaritans.org has advice on how to report suicide and self-harm content
-
www.childline.org.uk has advice on how to report things like bullying and sexting
For Schools and Education Settings
There is a range of online resources below that can help:
- Samaritans have guides on many different topics related to the internet and suicide
- Mentally Healthy Schools have pages of resources on online safety, including lesson plans, animations and specific topics (for example, cyberbullying)
- Safer Internet also have tools for curriculum planning, as well as policy guidance and information on filtering and monitoring
- R:pple is a filtering and monitoring tool that could be installed on browsers and can signpost away from harmful content
- Childnet also provides similar advice and guidance, as well as a curriculum calendar template, quizzes and SEND resources.