The Conversation Stamford

"Under 16s will be banned from social media by Spring 2027"

Today's government announcement has been a real encouragement to the many parents that have felt alone in making better digital decisions for their children. We commend the Government's decisions following the public consultation and particularly their commitment to addressing the additive nature of these platforms.

This is a significant moment that deserves celebration and we want to thank all of you who have been with us on our 'Cyberwise' journey so far.

We will continue to work to support families and their children when it comes to digital tech and wellbeing - ensuring both feel empowered to make positive digital choices - and we are grateful to have the government's backing too.

This is not a ban to restrict our children's freedom, its a ban on social media companies being legally able to exploit our children for profit. We hope that in the long term, this will change the digital cultural landscape for our children and young people.

We are hugely encouraged that the government has listened to us all.
We welcome this change - and found the Prime minister’s speech very moving and astute. We are hopeful that, over time, this will bring a real lasting societal change that protects the wellbeing of our children and young people.

Social media will be banned for all children under 16, UK PM Keir Starmer announces.

Follow live: https://bbc.in/4a2KrS9

The new apple software update, set to launch publicly in September will include greater ability for parental control over a younger child's phone - any child under 13 will automatically be given a child account.

It is important to note that many of the features included are already available through apple parent controls, however we fully endorse the idea that some of these settings will become mandatory for children under 13's phones and we encourage a more simplified way to navigate parental controls.

However, the controls are dictated by apples assertion that: "by age 13, teens may be more emotionally ready to receive their first smartphone without it automatically harming their mental health"
We're not so sure, what are your thoughts on this?

This morning the team were out teaching S*x and Relationships education to year 6 at Alderman Jacobs school in Whittlesey.
We deliver our SRE scheme in over 40 primary schools and it is a privilege to be trusted to teach such an important topic. Having now taught the programme for ten years, we have established a reputation within our schools - who have never failed to rebook.
Our geographical area is now expanding, so why not give us a try next academic year - we offer in person engaging workshops for key stage 1 and 2 to support curriculum delivery and safeguarding.

It is heartening to see the government take steps to make the online world a safer place for our children - a step that is well overdue.
We continue to campaign both for a social media ban, as well as laws which force tech companies to change the ease of accessibility to dangerous content in addition to the algorithms that profit from our children's vulnerabilities.

Important message to School or MAT leaders - Our Cyberwise partner schools network is growing and we are now booking in for next academic year - get in touch with us to arrange a chat about what we can offer to support your school communities when it comes to digital tech and pupil wellbeing.
We would love to hear from you - [email protected]

We were so pleased to hear that college are, from today, implementing phone pouches at school, meaning that students no longer need to regulate themselves during the school day. We hope other local secondaries will follow suit - well done to all involved in pushing this decision through.

If you are a parent here, we would love to hear your thoughts on the decision. So many local parents have previously spoken to us saying how their secondary child without a smartphone feels left out, or unable to access their homework app or research in lessons. It would be great to eliminate the shame and inconvenience for parents and students who are making healthy decisions.

Additionally, Smartphones allowed to be kept in blazers or bags put the onus on the child; we are setting our children up to fail saying 'keep it in your pocket but don't look at it during the school day'

As adults and educators, we need to better support our students to enable them to thrive, and learning well, without constant interuption, is part of that - we hope the government will change legislation as well as regulate big tech when it comes to smartphones and our children.

As part of our Emotional wellbeing workshop stream we offer our 'Thrive' drama workshop.
This workshops used a range of dramatic techniques to explore how to navigate friendship issues and resolve conflict for year 5 and 6 students.

Within this workshop, we also explore the impact of digital devices on friendships.
The aim of the workshops is to equip pupils with tools to better manage conflict and support healthy friendships.

Here are this weeks pupils with our conflictometer - used to assess the points of tension in their dramas and explore strategies to navigate tricky moments.

Get in touch if this is something you feel your class would benefit from 🙂
[email protected]

We are delighted to now be able to offer our arts and anxiety workshop once again to primary schools. The children watch a live recorded version of our 'The Fearsome Giant Production' and this is followed up with a multi-sensory arts workshops where children create their own sensory nests for managing bouts of worry.

The aim of this workshop is to teach children how to name their emotions, get the appropriate support from a trusted adult and use sensory techniques to calm themselves.

Here are the children at Stamford Endowed Schools having a marvellous time creating their nests last week.

Schools often ask us if we cover their area and most of the time our answer is yes! We currently work in schools across Rutland, Peterborough, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and even Derbyshire and our reach is expanding next academic year. Send us an e-mail so we can let you know what in person provision we can offer your school...

We exist to support your in house PSHE curriculum 😀