Education Focus
How to
keep it safe
1 Install a web-safe browser on your computers at home. In addition, to browser safety settings, you can use ClickCEOP add ons to give your child quick access to help, advice and the abil- ity to report, visit
www.ceop.police.uk/ browser-safety
2 Ask your child to show you the sites they use and help them to create strong passwords for any they log into.
3 Talk to your child’s mobile phone op- erator about filtering software to block inappropriate content and websites.
4 If your child uses social networking sites, ensure they set their profile setting to private and add the ClickCEOP app to their profile on Facebook, www.face-
book.com/clickceop
5 Ensure your child understands that they should never give out personal details to online friends they do not know offline. Help your child to understand that some people lie online and that therefore, it’s better to keep online mates, online. They should never meet up with any strangers without an adult they trust.
6 Make your children aware that they need to think carefully about the informa- tion, videos and pictures they put online or exchange with friends. Once published online or shared, they have lost control and anyone can change or share the im- ages of them.
7 If your child receives junk email and texts, remind them never to believe their contents, reply to them or use them.
8 Teach young people how to block someone online and report them if they feel uncomfortable. Most sites will have guidance on this and any reports can be made directly to the CEOP Centre via
www.ceop.police.uk
Jonathan Baggaley is Head of Educa- tion at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
www.firstelevenmagazine.co.uk Allergic to Wi-Fi?
VIEW Michael Bevington advises what you can do if
TEACHER
Seemingly harmless radio devices, like mobile phones, iPads, laptop comput- ers, Wi-Fi and cordless phones, are increasingly common in our schools and homes. Yet these gadgets can make some children ill. Recently, a reception class girl com-
plained of headaches at every assembly. The problem was solved only because her teacher, who was already sensitised to radio waves, realised the cause could be the Wi-Fi operated smart board – the girl always sat near it for assembly. When the teacher told the girl to sit elsewhere, her headaches disappeared. There are mixed reactions to ill health
from radio waves. Some governments accept the disabling nature of sensitivity to radio waves and provide, for instance, train coaches free from it, as in Sweden. The UK, however, is behind many
countries in recognising illness from ra- dio waves, allegedly because of depend- ence on mobile phone tax revenue. The Department of Health and the HPA claim that non-thermal radiation, as from Wi-Fi and mobiles, has no consist- ent adverse effects. They also claim that most cases of sensitivity to radio waves
you suspect your child is sensitive to radio waves
are psychological worry. It is therefore no surprise that many parents may be concerned with the links of cognitive effects from short and long- term exposure to radiation. It can impair short-term memory and reduce male fertility, as well increase DNA breaks – the precursor of cancer – and reduce their repair. This is the alleged reason for some schools removing Wi-Fi. So what can you do as a parent if you
suspect that your child is affected by radio emissions, perhaps from Wi-Fi at school or a neighbour? Your child should keep clear of Wi-Fi hotspots, other people using mobiles, and being close to a phone mast. Power density drops with distance. Your child’s school may agree to re-
move the Wi-Fi. In your own home, turn it off overnight or replace it with dLAN plugs using the house wiring circuit. Try to replace cordless phones as the base stations emit radio waves at full power. Several governments are now advising you not to hold mobiles to your head or body and to text rather than speak. However, such advice can be difficult in schools, and especially boarding schools where mobile phone use is expected.
Michael Bevington teaches at Stowe School and is chair of the trustees of Electrosensitivity UK.
The UK is behind many countries in recognising illness from radio waves
Summer 2012 FirstEleven 37
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