Roblox concerns

Dear Parents/ Carers,

Creswell Junior School is committed to promoting the safe and responsible use of the internet and as such we feel it is our responsibility to raise our growing concern over the particular use of the gaming platform ‘ROBLOX’. After discussions with a parent and pupils, it has come to our attention that a significant number of our children are accessing this programme online. 

It has highlighted that some children are vulnerable as they are interacting with others that they only know through the online world. No one knows who they are truly talking to online. Unsafe adults may use this to their advantage. As a school, this is something we continually reinforce as being unsafe and would always encourage children to reject or ignore friend requests from people they do not know. Children may also see inappropriate language and comments are often used on the game. 

NSPCC NetAware has provided a parent guide to ROBLOX which has shown some interesting statistics and views from both children and adults who have experienced the game:

ROBLOX can be risky. The top three concerns are:

• talking to strangers
• bullying or rude comments
• Hacking of some of the features

It's not easy to find how to change privacy settings.  "There are very few privacy settings."

If you would like to read more from this guide then please visit

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/roblox/   

If you click on the Privacy Settings section it takes you to advice from the site to support you in ensuring the appropriate privacy settings are in place for your child and also explains how you can monitor what they are playing. 

We are asking that you remain vigilant about your child’s use of the internet and ensure you have appropriate parental controls set up for all apps and games your child accesses. We suggest you regularly check the games your child is playing or pages they are accessing and talk to children about who they are talking to. It is important to talk to your child about the internet and the dangers that some websites and games can pose to them.  

The NSPCC Netaware site (https://www.net-aware.org.uk/) offers advice and support for parents about a range of the most popular children's games, apps and websites - a great site to add to your Bookmarks!

Please speak to Mr Burton if you are concerned about any issues or would like any support regarding esafety at home.

Please remember the reporting systems we have in place to report online safety concerns.

• Parents have a form in reception that you email: esafety@creswell-jun.derbyshire.sch.uk