'Snapchat' - it sounds so harmless. Those two syllables denote a world of cute mouse ears, rainbow symbols and facial distortion filters that burst onto our smartphones as messages for a matter of seconds, before disappearing forever. The app now seems to be as common among 50-somethings as millennials (judging from my friends’ parents who have just discovered the #LOL filters).

The only time we hear a negative report of the app, is when it's used by teens to sext. That’s when alarm bells start ringing - mainly for parents and teachers, often at a loss to know how to stop kids exploring their sexuality on social media.

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A mother whose Facebook post shaming her “bully son” was shared thousands of times has defended her online outburst - saying she wanted him to see his “actions have consequences”.

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We were recently contacted by one of our member schools, St Thomas More RC Primary in Middlesbrough. They asked us to help develop their "Safety Sheriff" sketch, drawn by one of their young students, into a full digital character to share online, and paper too.

With vast swathes of data being sold on the dark web in recent weeks following high-profile breaches, many sites are encouraging users to change their passwords, even if they weren't directly affected.

Facebook and Netflix appear to be taking this a step further with reports a number of users are being forced to update their credentials.

Read more here

ENABLE (European Network Against Bullying in Learning and Leisure Environments) is an EU-funded project which combats bullying and contributes to the well-being of young people aged 11-14 through a unique blend of social and emotional development and peer education.

ENABLE takes a holistic and sustainable approach to reducing bullying through involving students, staff and parents/ carers.

The target audience for ENABLE is young people aged 11-14 although the programme can be adapted for use by other ages. The ENABLE partner countries are the UK, Denmark, Croatia, Belgium and Greece. Find out more http://enable.eun.org/news.

Watch the video here 

and access resources for schools here