Dear parents/carers,
We are writing to you with regards to the use of online apps including TikTok and Snapchat, both of which appear to be popular with a large number of our children in KS2. We feel that whilst some parents may be aware of the nature of these apps, others may not fully understand their purpose and how children are choosing to use them. Additionally, we believe it is important for you to be made aware of the impact these apps are having on pupils in school.
TikTok (formerly known as musical.ly) is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short music videos; think Karaoke for the digital age. The app musical.ly was used by young people as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing. TikTok requires that users be at least 13 years old to use the app and that anyone under the age of 18 must have approval of a parent or guardian.
Snapchat is one app that, on the surface, may seem innocent enough, but can be extremely harmful. Snapchat is a messaging app that allows users to send pictures, videos and text messages to a selected group of recipients. According to Snapchat's own Terms of Service, users are supposed to be age 13 or up, and users under 18 have to verify that they're using the app with a parent's permission.
Both apps appear to be harmless, but unfortunately some children are not using them responsibly and have used these apps to create, post and send unkind messages and videos to one another. This has caused problems within friendship groups and led to some unpleasant behaviour both in and out of school. The recommended age for both apps is 13 because both providers assume that children younger than 13 are not mature enough to use the apps responsibly, and yet we are being made aware of a large number of our 9 and 10, and some 7 and 8 year olds are regularly accessing them. Recent evidence shows that children are not being safe or responsible.
Should you choose to allow your children to access these apps, we would urge you to monitor their use closely and check videos, messages and pictures that are being sent and received on a daily basis.
Further information with regards to staying safe online including parents guides for Tiktok, Snap Chat and many other online platforms are all available on the eSafety section of our website. Parkside Primary School - eSafety (eriding.net)
Here at Parkside Primary School, the welfare and wellbeing of children is our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen. If you would like to discuss the contents of this letter further, please do not hesitate to contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Miss Curley, via the school office, or by telephone on 01405 763634
Kind regards
Miss S O'Brien, Headteacher