Parenting in the digital age

The internet can be a useful tool for adults as well as children. When used correctly, it can greatly enhance a student’s learning process, and open a window to the world from one’s home office. However, it could also pose a threat to a child’s safety and wellbeing. By following a few simple tips, you can help your child use technology in a positive, meaningful, harmless way.

Make sure you maintain a channel of communication regarding your child’s life on the Internet. Encourage them to discuss their online activities, their favourite websites, and the online games they enjoy playing.

Just like you do in the offline world, make sure you always know the three Ws: who your child is communicating with online, where they go online, and what they do there.

Remember to discuss online safety in detail. To initiate the conversation, you can simply ask them to give you advice on how to stay safe on the Internet. Inform them about ways to protect their online identity, such as privacy settings, and ways to report or block certain services and users. Ensure that in case of need, your child knows where to go for help. Maintaining a warm, non-judgmental manner of communication will allow them to confide in you if they ever find themselves in digital trouble.

You can also contemplate on your personal use of the Internet, and ask your child how the internet could possibly become a better place for everyone. Encourage them to use it in a creative, productive way, perhaps even in fun family activities.

Remember that you don’t need to be a technical expert to monitor your child’s online activity. Never hesitate to communicate with an expert. There are many organisations you can contact for more information, such as www.saferinternet.org.uk.

By following this simple advice, you can help your child flourish online, and reap all the benefits of our digital age.

Granton Primary: Supporting charity for a better world

The world in which we raise our children is burdened by many issues. Thanks to the hard work of many visionaries and pioneers, there are many charities that face these challenges and support worthy causes. Granton Primary aims to help such charities in their daily strife for a better world.

One of the charities we are happy to support is Brake. This road safety organisation aims to lower the number of needless deaths and severe physical and mental traumas caused daily by road accidents. Ultimately, Brake wants to create secure roads and communities, in which driving –or even crossing the street- is safe for us and our children.

Through national campaigns and community education, Break promotes road safety awareness. But their efforts go even further: they also offer support to people affected by road death or injury. Brake was founded in the UK, and now operates globally.

Granton Primary is also a proud supporter of the Mind charity. For the past six decades, Mind has worked in England and Wales, supporting people with mental health problems. Their services include expert advice through their crisis helplines, as well as practical help in the form of supported housing, employment and training schemes, and drop-in centres. Their many campaigns aim to raise awareness and promote a deeper understanding of mental illness.

The NSPCC is yet another organization, we are proud to support. They are invested in the fight against child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. NSPCC aims to prevent abuse, stand by the victims and their families, and fight to improve legislation.

By aiding these organisations, we believe that we set a socially conscious example for our students. The message of these charities is that this world can change for the better. Granton Primary encourages its students to be a part of the change!