11 Plus Exams Forum

Charlotte, thanks for this...DD will be kept busy on her return from school!

Has just made me go and check that my FB is all up tp date safety wise and it is, relief!

Safest way for children is not bother having an account to begin with. Midget(yr6) has no interest in it and neither would I let him, he's far more interested in playing outside of having a warhammer battle

Thanks, I'll read that with interest.
I was quite shocked when DS announced recently that he had set up an account. (I don't even have one myself.) I'm still not entirely comfortable about it, but t turns out they had an ' internet safety' man come to speak at school which cheered me a little. Thought it was a good idea actually ie to have a speaker in if the kids were intent on doing it anyway. I said but you won't use your real name will you? Of course, says he, we're only allowed to link up with people we know and if I use a different name no one will know who I am!

Our Head wrote a letter home a couple of months ago warning that if any children had a FB account is was done fraudulently as they need to be over 13 to get it. She wanted all accounts closed.

Before that I hadnt thought of DS having an account, but since then it has made me think that maybe he ought to have an account before finishing Yr6 so he can keep in touch with all his old school mates easily - especially as we will be moving away.

The school has just started something called It's Learning which has a forum facility & the children immediately started using it like FB so I thought that was a good idea as then they had no need to use the real thing. But the second day they were using it a teacher came on & said that it wasnt for chat but only for conversation!! My DS hasnt used it since & I think what a waste of a good, safe facility.

I will be investigating the FB site now so thanks for the link.

Just checked out Seven Ways to be Safe and although i thought i'd set everything to near total privacy I hadn't so it is worth looking at the link. thnks again for posting it - am now printing off for DD to go through

Charlotte, that is really helpful, and thank you for posting it. Although I'm on FB I really don't use it, but DS1 does and I would like to bet that he has done none of the 7 items listed.

Rosered, DS2 wanted a FB account when he left his junior school to keep in touch with friends from there. I allowed it, but on the proviso that he listed me as a friend so that I could see what was going on. He doesn't use it much, but when he does I check who all the friends are. We've deleted a few along the way because he really didn't seem awfully sure who they were.

I permitted my yr6 an account very reluctantly and was v surprised as to how many children in her class were on it (nearly all of them). Funnily enough OH was totally opposed and phoned FB to close her account and revealed her true age- they did nothing...I had the opinion that it was going to be a part of her life regardless and that at least she was open with me and if I was her friend and allowed to monitor her then it was OK. She did receive an odd request recently which made me shiver a little and I think it made her pause- we can't keep these things out of their lives as this technology is everywhere and I'm better comforted to be a part of it- just!

mother night wrote: She did receive an odd request recently which made me shiver a little and I think it made her pause- we can't keep these things out of their lives as this technology is everywhere and I'm better comforted to be a part of it- just!

If you are her friend only, you can't monitor her inbox (messages).
My year 8 (then ) DD had approaches from an older man that way.It was only through her password/ sign in that I knew that.Luckily she told me anyway as well.....

We have got her log-on details and- at the moment she's pretty open, I know that things will change when the hormones kick in - I just hope that she uses all the good advice around- it's not for the lack awareness, the schools are being very pro-active on this too.

MN