Cyber Safety

Changes to Family Zone

John XXIII College, along with business partner Linewize, has provided College families with access to cyber security software for use at home. There will be some changes to this product (Family Zone) due to Linewize’s acquisition of a company called Qustodio. All current John XXIII College Family Zone users will receive information from Linewize about how to make the switch to Qustodio. This is endorsed by the College.

What on earth is a Snapstreak?

Snapchat.

Kids love it. Parents are baffled by it.

There’s a lot to learn about this fascinating and sometimes-infuriating app, the top social media platform for teens today. But let’s start with a look at one of its most seductive features: the Snapstreak.

At age 28, Family Zone cyber expert Jordan Foster of ySafe is young enough to ‘get’ Snapchat. But as a child and adolescent psychologist, she is also a trained observer of the tricks the platform’s developers use to reel kids in - and keep them captive.

Foster is a regular speaker at schools across Australia. She finds kids are gobsmacked  to learn that the social media platforms they love best - like Snapchat - are the ones that most successfully exploit their vulnerabilities.

Of course, Snapchat is about more than just snapstreaks.

The top social media platform for teens today, this photo-, video- and text-sharing app allows users to send time-limited images, or sequences of such images, called “stories,” to give a raw, backstage glimpse into a user’s private life.

Kids use Snapchat to send photos or videos that can only be accessed for only a few seconds until they self destruct. (The images that is - not the kids!) Snapchat stories last for 24 hours.

Snapchat's photo filters are a major attraction for child and teen users.

Kids can also private-message and make phone calls on Snapchat. But once a message has been opened, it is automatically deleted. This feature makes it impossible for parents to supervise discussions.

Snapchat is also an increasingly popular platform for “branded content” - which is a fancy way of saying “advertising” - for everything from fast food to film releases. It is also the world’s most popular app for sexting.

The age restriction is 13+, but there is no verification process when signing up.

Cyber experts like Jordan Foster agree that Snapchat is inappropriate for children and younger teens - but, as a parent, how do you keep your kids from getting snapped up? Family Zone allows parents to block entire categories of content (“social media,” e.g.) or a specific app like Snapchat.

Reference: https://www.linewize.io/anz/blog/what-on-earth-is-a-snapstreak- 

Cyber Safety Hub

We are delighted to introduce you to a new resource made available to you through our partnership with Family Zone - our new school Cyber Safety Hub. 

As you may already be aware, our partnership provides your family with access to the Family Zone tools to use at home with your children if you wish. The purpose of the Cyber Safety Hub is to complement those tools with practical guidance and information to further support you in engaging with your children in their digital development. These tools and resources also allow the school and parent body to work together on creating a holistic approach to guiding each student's online journey. 

About the Parent Cyber Safety Hub 

The Cyber Safety Hub includes resources to help your family better understand the different Family Zone tools available to you and how to use them, plus access to regular cyber safety events to help you stay informed about the latest digital trends. 

Also, the Cyber Safety Hub provides expert advice from leading cyber experts, ySafe, on the most pertinent issues and frequently asked questions around platforms like TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, and more. There are app reviews with age and safety recommendations, along with a range of guides to help ensure healthy boundaries around screen-time & gaming, plus step-by-step instructions for using parental controls and filtering out inappropriate content. 

We are very excited to be able to offer you this level of expertise and support. We look forward to working closely with you as we develop the cyber safety conversation within our school community.