IMPACT - SWGfL Digital Literacy

We all know why 'we do what we do', however, it is always very powerful to recieve a letter like the one I received yesterday -

Dear Ms ---,  Mr Spracklen and Mr ----

We are writing to thank you for the Internet safety work that you've been doing with class 6 because it has been directly responsible for keeping our daughter safe in what could have been a nasty incident recently.

--- had an app on her kindle called "talking Tom" where you speak to a cartoon cat and it repeats your words back in a squeaky voice. We agreed to her getting some linked apps including "talking Angela" (Tom's friend) mistakenly thinking they were the same. In fact, the cat holds a conversation with your child and asks them questions.

Another parent alerted me on Facebook to rumours that the apps have been implicated in asking children sexual questions and asking them for personal details. We just explained to --- that people might be using the apps wrongly so we had decided to delete them. We asked her casually if the apps had said anything that made her uncomfortable. --- then told us that "Angela" had asked her repeatedly for her name and address and put her under considerable pressure to provide information. ---- said that because of the Internet safety work you've been doing at school she knew she shouldn't give this info so when the app pressurised her she gave a made up name and logged off.

We just wanted to thank you so much for giving --- the help she needed to stay safe. Needless to say we've deleted the apps and logged it with Kindle support. We try so hard to monitor what our children do online but this one slipped under our radar.

We're going to use the links you provided today at the briefing to have some more conversations at home about staying safe online.

Yours

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