Online Safety: Discord, Omegle & Digital Footprint
Dear Parent/Carer,
I am writing with reference to online safety, in particular:
1. Discord – a real time communication app
2. Students understanding the concept of digital footprints
3. Omegle – an online chat platform
On Friday evening, we were made aware of a concern linked to both the use of Discord to share information and a lack of awareness of what is often referred to as digital footprints.
The issue arose outside of school but I can reassure you that appropriate action has been taken and communication was made to parents/carers of the students involved.
We have also become aware of a number of students mentioning use of Omegle.
It is important to share that both Discord and Omegle are blocked by the school systems.
Having been involved in dealing of the issue on Friday, I felt it would be useful to provide the following information and links which assist you in supporting your own child in keeping safe online should they use Discord.
As a parent myself, I am all too aware it how tricky it can be to keep up with the plethora of social media and messaging apps and their various safety or privacy settings and I hope the following information and links will be of use.
Digital Footprint
Unlike a footprint in the sand on a beach that disappears when the tide comes in, a digital footprint (the trail of data left online) is a significantly more, if not completely permanent thing.
What we do, say or post online leaves a trail and can mean that we lose control of that data. For example, if we post a photo or video on Instagram, although we may choose to remove it others may have copied it, downloaded it or screenshotted it meaning we no longer have control over that media. This means we have to think carefully about what we post or send online before we do so.
CEOPS have the following advice for parents/carers on digital footprints:
https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/articles/what-is-a-digital-footprint/
Discord
Discord is a real time communication app designed for online chat, messaging, video & audio calls via forums referred to as servers. Originally aimed at the gaming community, it is becoming more popular with young people outside of the gaming community.
The following is a useful link from the UK Safer Internet Centre providing guidance for parents/carers on Discord and its security settings.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/discord-security-settings-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers
Omegle
Omegle is a free online chat platform designed specifically to allow users to talk to strangers from around the world anonymously.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/what-is-omegle-key-things-parents-and-carers-need-to-know
Social Media Guides
It is perhaps timely to also share this link which provides parent/carer advice/guidance on a range of the common social media platforms.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/social-media-guides
Free Online Safety Courses for Parents/Carers.
As a school, we have recently added National Online Safety to our school’s National College membership. We use this platform for online training for all of our school staff.
One benefit of adding the National Online Safety component is that we can now offer free online safety courses to parents who may wish to access them.
If you are interested in making use of this training, use one of the following links to access the course appropriate for your child’s age.
Age 7-11: https://nationalcollege.com/courses/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-7-11
Age 11-14: https://nationalcollege.com/courses/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-11-14
Age 14-18: https://nationalcollege.com/courses/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-14-18
You will need to register an account by first providing an email address and then filling in a short online form to provide:
- Your first name
- Your surname
- Select ‘Parent/Carer’ from the drop down forgot role
- Enter the Schools name (New Forest School) and select it from the list that appears – it may take a moment to appear.
- & 6. Enter and re-enter your desired password.
You can then access the training video’s (presented by Myleene Klass).
There are 6 short modules totalling approx 41 minutes of training.
I hope this information and the free online training is useful for you.
As always, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact the school and we can either provide support if appropriate or signpost you to the relevant agencies or sources of information required.
Kind regards,