To mark Safer Internet Day, today, 7th February, the Education Authority (EA) has launched guides for schools and for parents and carers on the use of the social media app, TikTok.
The TikTok Guide for Schools and TikTok Guide for Parents and Carers were created in partnership with Safer Schools NI at INEQE Safeguarding Group and the Department of Education (DE) as part of our commitment to keeping children and young people safe whilst online; to helping to tackle online abuse of staff and pupils; and to enhance the support and guidance offered to schools and parents in relation to social media.
We are acutely aware of the social media challenges facing schools, parents, carers and the pupils themselves, and of the importance of online safety for children and young people. While TikTok is an increasingly popular platform, we know that that potential risks include social pressures, stranger danger, lack of age verification, and access to explicit content. TikTok, in particular, has also become a platform used to target abuse against members of the teaching profession as noted in a recent survey carried out by INEQE Safeguarding Group across the school community.
Therefore, these guides aim to provide advice to schools, parents and carers on the basics of how TikTok works, the potential risks associated with it, as well as providing helpful guidance on dealing with inappropriate content and use, and tips on how to best support children and young people on the safe and responsible use of such platforms.
We were delighted to work with online safety experts INEQE Safeguarding Group, the Department of Education and the Preventing Violence at Work Steering Group (which includes TUS colleagues) on these guides which we hope are a useful resource, and which forms part of our long-term strategy to help keep young people and our staff safe.
A copy of these guides are attached in the email and can also be accessed at https://saferschoolsni.co.uk/tiktok-guides/
We would also like to draw your attention to additional Digital Safeguarding resources available on the EA website: https://www.eani.org.uk/school-management/safeguarding-and-child-protection/resources/digital-safeguarding
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