Connecting Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Find out more
Families, Children and Young People
With thanks to YoungScot for their contribution, we've collated some resources and information based on 5Rights.
The Right to Digital Literacy
‘We need to be taught the skills to use digital technologies effectively’.
For Children and Young People
Young Scot has curated a list of resources for young people to develop their digital skills. Young people have been supported through The DigiKnow programme to take a lead on cyber and digital resilience issues.
For Parents/Carers
YouthLink Scotland have a range of information and insights for youth workers and those working with children, on being safe online.
Internet Matters has produced a really helpful toolkit on digital resilience.
ParentClub also has information for parents and carers on supporting children in learning at home.
There is also a brilliant, free course from the Open University on Parenting in the Digital Age.
The Right to Know
‘We should know who is holding and profiting from our information’
Google’s Be Internet Legends has a range of accessible resources to support the development of digital literacy and the development of critical thinking.
Their Be Internet Legends Parent's Page is a resource for parents/carers to support children to be a 'smarter, safer and happier explorer of the online world.'
The Right to Informed and Conscious Choices
‘Unless we understand the technologies we use daily, we can’t control how they make us behave.’
Go Viral is a great wee game which builds on research from Cambridge psychologists that found by giving people a taste of the techniques used to spread fake news on social media, it increases their ability to identify and disregard misinformation in the future.
InternetMatters has a guide for parents and carers to help navigate discussions on fake news.
The Family Online Safety Institute has information on how to support children and young people to identify reliable sources and websites.
The Right to Safety and Support
‘There is too much emphasis on what is illegal and not enough about what is unpleasant or distressing’
For Children and Young People
YoungScot resources, advice, information and tips for staying safe online
National Crime Agency education programme on online safety
NSPCC Childline for support
Reach advice on home learning and copingwhile schools are closed
Mind Yer Time! is a website designed by children and young people from the Children's Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament. Mind Yer Time has been created to support everyone who loves social media and screen time. They've got positive tips, stories and information for children and young people, to help them use their screen time positively!
For Parents and Carers
A key resource is The UK Safer Internet Centre guidance aimed at promoting online safety
InternetMatters has recently developed additional resources specifically focussed on a more inclusive approach to internet safety with guides on supporting LGBTQ+ and care experienced young people.
NetAware from NSPCC and 02 is an informative site aimed at parents and carers and with a really useful guide to apps, games and social media sites'
Reporting harmful content
National Crime Agency’s CEOP command for advice if you are worried about online abuse or the way someone is communicating with you online
Report Harmful Content advice on reporting routes for social media services
Internet Watch Foundation to help anonymously and confidentially report online harmful content
The Right to Remove
‘Sometimes I regret what I post online and wish there was some easy way to make it disappear’
YoungScot has a clear and concise resource to support young people (and anyone else for that matter) in the steps they need to take to remove unwanted images of themselves from the internet.
So You Got Naked Online is a resource that helps and advises young people who may find themselves in a situation where they (or a friend) have put a sexting image or video online and have lost control over that content and who it's being shared with.
Here is the YoungScot resource on creating a positive online presence. This resource helps young people think about making decisions around what they share, and how to address things they think impacts negatively.
Police Scotland: How to spot online abuse
Police Scotland's Cybercrime Harm prevention team have created this resource for Connecting Scotland Digital Champions to spot signs of online abuse, and what to do.
Keeping children safe on your Connecting Scotland devices
Both Apple and Google have really great information hubs to help parents/carers keep children safe online.
This online guide by Julia Olech on WizCase gives a really comprehensive overview of Parental Controls across a variety of different online platforms.