Pupils given cyber bullies advice

Date published: 23 July 2010

Police in Tameside recently visited a primary school to tell pupils how to stay safe when using the internet.

Year five and six children attending St Stephen’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Droylsden were given a talk about how to use the internet safely and advice on social networking sites and cyber bullying.

Droylden West PCSO Annabelle Biddle said: “Protecting vulnerable people is a priority for the police and this is just one way that we can work with schools and parents to help prevent our children coming to harm.

“The internet is a useful educational tool that children are encouraged to use in the classroom and at home. However, with websites such as Facebook becoming ever more popular there is a concern with the information that young people may give out over social networking sites. These sites are also becoming an area for interactive or cyber bullies.

“We have been encouraging young people to stay in control of the risks by following a few simple steps such as checking privacy settings, only adding trusted friends and enabling a parent to check what information they are giving out.

“I would also ask parents to check the security settings on their computers and internet connection to ensure that ‘adult’ sites cannot be accessed by a child.”