One of the most common ways that young people engage with their peers online is through group chats. Occurring through messaging apps, on social media and in online games, group chats allow users to send messages, images and videos to everyone in one place.

While group chats are useful for helping friends share interests or communicate and coordinate activities, they can also leave young people feeling excluded and bullied, as well as providing opportunities for inappropriate content to be shared and viewed.

One example we see and hear about often is instances of children using language towards other children that they would not dream to use either in school or to that child’s face. Whether this is because these group chats happen on devices, or the privacy these chats can foster, we often speak about the “Rule of Nanny” when discussing these situations.

Put simply, we ask children whether they would read out what they have written in a group chat to their nanny. If they would not, this is a clear sign it should not have been typed.

Therefore below is an opportunity to download this week’s guide to Group Chats.

Included here the potential risks that children should be aware of such as bullying, inappropriate content and unknown members, to top tips for parents and carers in discussing these risks with your children.

Finally, please remember that should you have any concerns about any of these e-safety tips or anything you or your child see online, please do not hesitate to speak to either your child’s teacher or a member of Moorcroft Wood management team.