At Balshaw Lane Primary, we take online safety very seriously and are very keen to keep parents updated regarding evolving risks.

We contact parents if we have concerns that a child is accessing or receiving inappropriate content. This includes where children are accessing games and/or sites which are only recommended for an older age eg age 13 rating.

We will also contact parents if social media messaging is affecting relationships in school and/or inappropriate language is used.

Parents will be contacted if staff hear that children are uploading videos to YouTube.

Updates

We receive updates from the Safer Internet Centre - you can find many useful guides below.

We tweet their #WakeUpWednesday alert each week.

The school is signed up to Knowsley's online safety newsletter service.

Each month, we email the latest newsletter to parents.

This is really useful, current information for parents to be aware of.

Knowsley's parental controls guide is below - this is updated annually.

Current online risks

We will post information for parents on this page when we hear of new risks to be aware of.

Thank you to parents who have shared information with us.

February 2024

SKIBIDI TOILET

This seems to be related to some scary videos on YouTube. 

Our children have mentioned it on the playground but it's not something that's been watched in school.

Please check that your child doesn't have access to this at home - check your parental controls.

January 2023

OMEGLE

Omegle is a free anonymous online chatroom where users are randomly paired with strangers to chat via video call or instant messaging. It is popular, despite no longer having its own app, and is primarily accessed on a web browser. Videos showcasing Omegle chats have popped up on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which have added to its popularity with children and young people.

Considered highly dangerous because:

• No account sign up required – users can join a chat immediately and are automatically paired with a complete stranger.

• No age verification – it says users must be 13+ with ‘parental permission and supervision’ but does not check this at any point.

• No effective moderation – it claims to use ‘AI and human moderators’, but there is little to no evidence or clarity that this is implemented.

• No reporting or blocking features – users are unable to report inappropriate behaviour, and offending users can continue to use Omegle freely.

• Further details of risk: https://ineqe.com/2022/09/30/dangerous-chat-rooms-alert/?utm_campaign=Slender%20Man&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=227867397&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--7XZKXeeogIbtD0Uo0FhlCJcyPwfwGqk8tyep0xbpCv1UseY-TMuB6l2uMKzxWRTUhYxCzGkx_Bt-AWUsMK4pln97mmGoAwUsv-XtsHqb9D7Ffckg&utm_content=227867397&utm_source=hs_email

HUGGY WUGGY BEAR
This character’s name keeps being mentioned by the children at the moment.
It is certainly not a nice cuddly bear, as its name suggests. This is a character that children are being exposed to on platforms such as Tiktok and YouTube. The character is named 'Huggy Wuggy' from the 2021 horror game 'Poppy's Playtime'. The character sounds like a cuddly bear, but is actually encouraging children to copy behaviours - hugging people randomly, but then carrying out violence and verbal abuse. There are also disturbing images in the game and within videos of this character. Make sure your child is only viewing videos on verified channels. Some videos maliciously posted to streaming platforms have been created to inflict 'jump scares', which feature this character. The child thinks they are watching something nice, but then the character suddenly appears. For younger children especially, this can be very frightening and upsetting.
For more details:
https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-youtube-police-huggy-wuggy-parents-warning-poppy-playtime-1694825

TIKTOK
There is a current TikTok trend:
It is to put your finger in hand gel and then set it alight. Clearly, this is extremely dangerous but some of the children may be aware of it.

KICK THE BUDDY app/game
Apparently, in this game, violent 'punishments' can be given out.
This game is not suitable for primary aged pupils - it has a 12+ rating.

ROBLOX

There are reports of a viral post circulating on social media about an alleged self-harm ‘game’ being shared on popular gaming platform Roblox. Known as ‘The Game’, the post claims that the game appears through private chats in an attached Word document that contains the rules and instructions.

While it is unclear who made the original post and who took the screenshot of the document, it has been noted by several media outlets and concerned parents and carers, which has increased the sharing of the screenshot. There are multiple risks that come with this, including potential physical harm to children and young people, as well as inadvertent exposure to harmful online content.

Currently, online safety experts have not been able to substantiate reports on the validity of this so-called ‘game’ or the claim that children and young people are sharing it.

What is ‘The Game’?

According to the Facebook post, ‘The Game’ is a list of self-harming actions for children and young people to complete, often in view of their family and friends. It is allegedly shared via Word document on Roblox and Snapchat.

Two images of this document have been circulating in the posts on social media. One is a screenshot of the document itself. The other is a photo of a person holding a phone with the document on screen. Neither photo has been authenticated.

In the photos, the document is dated September 16th, 2022 and is titled ‘The Game’. Actions include self-harm prompts, such as cutting, overdosing, starving, and bruising. There are multiple references to “ending your own life” with one part stating the “only way to win [the game] is to die”. It also states different methods of suicide, as well a timeline for when to do so during the game.

Most notably, there is a reference to ‘players’ receiving an anonymous message in Snapchat that includes the word ‘dare’, with further self-harming instructions. It also encourages the person to involve or harm other people, such as siblings and friends.

According to the document, the ‘normal’ age range to join in this behaviour is “10-15 years old” but there are also “people as young as 9” who are playing.