A reminder about some of the dangers and risks associated with social media

I have had contact with the Police Community Liaison Officers who provide a great community service to us in schools. They wish to help us be very proactive in ensuring the safety of our young people and supporting their healthy growth to adulthood.

One of the important areas we discussed when they visited was the illegal situations that young people can inadvertently find themselves in through their use of social media. I felt that a timely reminder again of this would be helpful to families.

Young people often do not realise the legal ramifications of distributing material – particularly images and videos.  If that material is inappropriate or in fact illegal, then it is an offence to distribute it. Our young people need to be aware of what is illegal material and ensure that they do not pass it on. If they receive something they believe could be illegal material, they need to ideally not open the communication, alert an adult and certainly not send it to others. Sending illegal material to friends is distributing it and the Police must take appropriate action if it is brought to their attention.

Ongoing discussions with your children around the use of social media are very valuable and I would encourage you to include this aspect of social media use in your discussions with them.

Catherine Rey
Principal