Last Updated on 17th December 2025
Welcome to our Winter Wrap-Up!
Welcome back to this month’s newsletter! 👋
We’ve compiled the essential updates and tools to ensure you’re in the know with online safety. This month’s issue includes News and Alerts pulled directly from your Safer Schools App, technical support guidance to ensure smooth operation and the latest community news and highlights. Scroll down to read more!
News and Alerts
A round up of the latest news and alerts sent directly to your Safer Schools App
The Locket App 🔒
Locket is climbing the app charts again with its unique widget that lets users instantly share photos directly to friends’ phone screens. Read our Safeguarding Guide now to explore its features and learn about the potential risks such as weak age verification, the absence of parental controls, and the permanence of shared images.
Anti-Bullying Week 📲
Like you, we believe everyone’s unique! This November, to celebrate Anti-Bullying Week, we wore our Odd Socks, showcasing that our differences make us who we are and uniting us to ‘sock it’ to cyberbullying. Empower yourself, click here for crucial advice on supporting a child facing online bullying and accessing further support.
AI-Generated Image Exploitation 🚨
A disturbing new threat is emerging where people are exploiting readily available AI image generation tools to create sexually explicit images, often of female students, by copying photos directly from school websites and social media channels. Our essential guide explains how to proactively safeguard children in your care and provides clear steps for reporting and responding to these specific AI exploitation incidents.
Technical Support 👩🏼💻
Top tips from the Support Centre
Not Receiving Push Notifications? Check Your Settings First! 🔔
If you aren’t receiving timely push notifications from the Safer Schools App, the issue could be related to individual device settings.
For the App to deliver instant alerts, it requires permission not just from the App itself, but also from the operating system (iOS or Android). Checking your device’s notification settings is the fastest way to reactivate service.
Next Steps:
Resouce Highlight ✨
The ready-to-use, relevant resource you need
Stay Safer this Christmas
My Child’s First Device Poster 🎄
With Christmas approaching, you may be planning to buy the children in your care a new device or an upgrade. While they may be tech-savvy, it’s vital they are also taught how to be tech-safe. Read our short article which provides 5 key steps you can take for ensuring new phones, tablets, and laptops are safer for children this Christmas. 🎅🏼
You can also find further guidance on “My Child’s First Device” within the App. Look in the Online Safety Guidance section under the Need to Know tab.
Community News and Updates 📢
What’s happening in your area?
Safer Schools on the Road – C2K Conference 🌟
During November, we took a trip to W5, not to explore the discovery centre, but to collaborate at the C2K Digital Literacy and Wellbeing Conference.
It was wonderful to meet the people who use and love our app and hear about the online safety strategies used across NI.
Media News 🗞️
🚨 Safeguarding failings ‘watershed moment’ for church, child abuse expert says – Our CEO, Jim Gamble described a series of “serious and significant failings” in safeguarding in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, which led to its moderator stepping down, as a “watershed moment” requiring an immediate and independent “root and branch” inquiry.
🚀 Co Down school’s social media experiment goes viral to highlight online safety – Donard Special Needs School in Co Down conducted a viral social experiment by asking followers to share a photo on Facebook to teach students about online safety and digital boundaries, demonstrating how quickly the image could spread globally and be viewed by strangers.
🛍️ Police are warning shoppers to secure online accounts linked to retail apps – As the festive season approaches, the PSNI is urging shoppers to secure online retail accounts with strong passwords and two-step verification due to a rise in hacking attempts.
💻 Online safety ‘getting worse’, warns former UK cyber security agency boss – The former head of the UK’s cyber security agency warned that online safety is declining, especially for girls and young women due to rising misogyny and social media firms cutting safety budgets.
⚖️ NHS manager who groomed young girls on Snapchat jailed for 28 years for rape and abuse – A “devious” senior NHS executive was jailed for 28 years after admitting to multiple offences, including rape and sexual assault, after grooming six young girls on Snapchat
License, Links and Logins 🔑
Simplified Safety Support: Log in to the Web App
Log in to the Safer Schools web app today! Use your existing login credentials to access all the essential guidance right from your browser, making online safety easier for your family.
Quick Tip: If you need your school’s unique entry code to register, simply contact your child’s school office.
Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest updates and developments!
