As the Easter holidays start and UK schools remain closed, we know that families across the country are starting to find ways of working together and finding fun things that they can do in isolation.

In this week’s newsletter we have created guidance about some of the apps and games that young people may be using to stay in touch with each other and to play online. We are also sharing our newly revamped Film Competition, which provides families with an interesting and creative way of engaging in online safety education for a chance to win some great prizes.

If you are a school or teacher, make sure that you send on this information to parents and carers in your school community!

What is…Houseparty? A guide for parents and carers

Houseparty is an app that many young people are using to stay in touch with their peers and play games during the school closures and lockdowns of COVID-19.

Many young people see this app as a fun and exciting way to talk to their friends in a time where they can’t speak face to face. In this blog we look at the features of the Houseparty app and pick out the key things that parents and carers need to know.

A parents guide to Call of Duty: Warzone

At Childnet we monitor the latest online crazes, apps and games. Recently the game ‘Warzone’ was released, this is a free to download game which is part of the extremely popular Call of Duty Series. In this blog we are giving guidance to parents about Warzone, looking at what the game is and highlighting some of the things to be aware of.

What is Warzone?

Warzone is a free to play online game, which is part of the Call of Duty series. It is a stand-alone expansion for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The most popular game within Warzone is Battle Royale. Similar to Fortnite, 150 players compete against each other to be the last person standing in player vs player (PVP) combat. Players use military style weapons, such as machine guns and grenades to kill their opponents.

With three new categories – You can now enter the Childnet FIlm Competition from home!

As schools remain closed, we know that many families are looking for projects they can do that are fun, educational and that children can do independently.  To help with this we have redesigned the Childnet Film Competition for 2020.

You can now create great educational films as a home learning project, with categories that can also be used in school for those who are still attending school.

To make this work we have extended the closing date to 22nd June 2020 and created three brand new categories; one for solo entrants, one as a project for a group, and finally, a chance to create a storyboard and script.

Further places you can go for help and support

For young people – depending on the age of your child there are a range of places they can go for help, for younger children they can call Childline for help and support, and for older children The Mix offer free and practical advice.

For parents and carers – The O2 and NSPCC helpline can help you with any questions or concerns you may have about keeping your child safe online, they can provide you with advice and help to troubleshoot any problems your family may be facing.  You can also take a look at our collection of resources you can use from home.

For educators or professionals – The Professionals Online Safety Helpline will continue to operate Monday to Friday 10:00am – 4:00pm. This helpline can assist with any online safety issues or concerns any professional working with children and young people may have. For help and support, please email [email protected]

Over the coming weeks we will be sending more newsletters with an in-depth look at resources you can use whether you have 10 minutes, an hour, or even longer to spend.