Be Safe
We want Craft Club to be a safe and welcoming environment for young people, teachers and volunteers. We have come up with a list of safety guidelines for you to follow in order to stay safe online.
To protect users in any way possible all visual content uploaded to Craft Club is pre-moderated, which may result in a slight delay in posting. Forums and written material is post-moderated – this means that all messages and content on the site will be checked after they have been posted.
If you are under 12 years old you must ask permission from your parent or guardian before you can use this site.
Keep your private info private: never give out private and personal information to people on Craft Club who you don’t know. This includes your phone number, address or details of your personal appearance.
Be wary of people who want to know personal information, even if you’ve ‘known’ them online for a while. There is no rule that says you have to tell anyone where you live, what your surname is or anything else about yourself. Your business is your business, let them stick to theirs.
Never give out your password: do not give out your Craft Club password to anyone, including us. Craft Club will never ask for your password, so don't be believe anyone claiming they work at Craft Club and want your password. If you are using a public computer DO NOT allow the computer to remember the password being used and ALWAYS log out. Report anyone who asks you for your password, even if they claim they work for Craft Club.
Try not to use the same passwords and usernames for lots of different sites; if someone does get hold of your details they will be able to access all the same sites you can using that information.
Don't talk to strangers: remember that people aren’t always what they seem on the internet. Don’t talk to anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable or nervous. If anyone posts a comment that makes you feel uncomfortable, then don't respond. Always report someone if you think what they are doing is wrong.
Never send anyone you meet online a picture or video of yourself. If you feel someone is asking you strange questions or wants you to send them information, pictures or videos of yourself you should report them. If you feel awkward reporting them, let a friend, parent, librarian or teacher know and tell them what the person was asking you to send them.
Meeting up: it's always better to keep friendships online. Don't meet up with any strangers you have met online without an adult you trust being with you. If your 'friend' has a problem with that, they might not be who they say they are.
If anyone asks to meet with them you should report them immediately. If you feel awkward telling us, let a friend, parent, librarian or teacher know, and tell them where and how the person contacted you.
Moving off Craft Club: be careful about which sites you go off to. Especially if someone you don’t know is asking you to meet and chat with them on their own personal social networking page.
REPORT IT! Think someone’s behaviour online is dodgy? Report it. If you are worried about something someone has sent you or content you have seen online, or if someone is being abusive to you or someone else online, you can report it via the 'report it' links on Craft Club. Alternatively, report it right here.
This link will take you to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Your report will be seen by someone who is specially trained to deal with online problems like these. They will contact you to help resolve your problem.
MORE HELP: if you want to find out more about how to stay safe online take a look at www.thinkuknow.co.uk
If you are worried about anything - school, bullying, family, peer pressure, friends - visit Childline’s website or call them on 0800 1111 for confidential advice.
Online safety tips for parents/carers
Craft Club has developed stringent policies to protect our users and to put their parents’ minds at rest. Please take a few moments to read the following statements and to look at our policies (see Privacy Policy and Terms of Use) so that you can be assured of our commitment to the protection of your children’s safety and identity.
To protect users in any way possible, all images and videos will be moderated before they are uploaded. The Craft Club forum is post-moderated – this means that all messages and media will be checked after they have been posted, but please follow these tips to make sure you stay safe:
1. Know what your child is doing online and who they are talking to. Ask them to teach you how to use any applications you have never used, and ask them to show you the sites they enjoy visiting.
2. Help your children to understand that they should never give out personal details to people they meet online - personal information includes their full name, address, messenger id, email address, phone number and any pictures of themselves, family or friends - if your child publishes a picture or video online - anyone may be able to change it or share it.
3. If your child receives spam or junk email and texts, remind them never to believe the content, open or reply to them.
4. Explain to your child that it is not a good idea for them to open files that are from people they don't know. They won't know what they contain - it could be a virus, or worse - an inappropriate image or film.
5. Help your child to understand that some people lie online and that therefore it's better to keep online friends online. They should never meet up with any strangers unless you or another adult that you and they trust can be with them.
6. Encourage your child to tell you, a friend, teacher or another trusted adult if they receive unwanted attention online or if something makes them feel uncomfortable. Always keep communication open for your child to know that it's never too late to tell someone if something makes them feel uncomfortable.
7. Teach your children how to block someone online and report them if they feel uncomfortable.
If you feel your child may have been inappropriately contacted or sent inappropriate content through our site, any other internet site or via email or text message you should contact the site provider. You can read about how to report illegal online activities through the following websites:
www.ceop.gov.uk/reporting_abuse.html
www.iwf.org.uk
For advice on web safety, please check out the following websites:
www.chatdanger.com
www.websafecrackerz.com
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
http://www.o2.co.uk/parents
www.nspcc.org.uk
www.nch.org.uk
www.blogsafety.com
www.getnetwise.org
