Articles by Carmel Glassbrook
How SWGfL is helping to eliminate violence against women
November 25th marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. This day is a cause that means a great deal to SWGfL, as much of our work operating three helplines comes back to gendered violence.
25th November 2019
Anti-Bullying Tips from the Professionals Online Safety Helpline
8 years on the frontline of online safety issues in the children's workforce has equipped the POSH practitioners with a unique insight into bullying online. Here, they share their expert advice.
14th November 2019
Well-Being Tips for Teachers
Research shows that 69% of teachers are stressed at work and people are leaving the profession at a faster rate than ever before, but we don’t need academic research to see that teaching has become an increasingly stressful job. Carmel Glassbrook, Professionals Online Safety Helpline Practitioner, offers her top tips to help educators look after themselves .
15th May 2019
Online Safety Alerts - Think Before You Scare
The Education Safeguarding Advisor (Online Protection) within the Education Safeguarding Service regularly receives queries from schools in relation to warning parents/carers and young people about the online safeguarding risks they have heard about via the media.
26th February 2019
How Reporting Violations on Social Media Works
There is a lot of confusion about reporting content on social media platforms. Here we hope to debunk some myths, help you understand the process and therefore make more effective reports on social media.
20th November 2018
Online Bullying - Practical Advice for Teachers
Advice for teachers on tackling online bullying from the Professionals Online Safety Helpline
15th November 2018
What do we mean by Digital Literacy ?
Literacy in it’s simplest form is text. Understanding and producing text creates communities. Digital literacy however is about more than understanding words, but about being competent in understanding and producing imagery, video and even memes.
14th June 2018
Safeguarding Young People Online - A Question of Ethics?
The Professionals Online Safety Helpline has received several calls recently by schools who have been contacted by organisations claiming to have chatted to pupils online and offering the school online safety training. Here are a few things to consider.
11th June 2018
Schools, Fake Accounts and RIPAs - What you can do
Increasingly the Professionals Online Safety Helpline gets calls from teachers and schools reporting fake social media accounts. But what can you do? What power do you have to do something about it?
17th May 2018
What's in a meme?
Carmel Glassbrook, Helpline Practitioner, looks at the viral nature of memes and the importance of stopping to think about the person beyond the meme.
19th January 2018
Logan Paul, YouTube and vloggers as role models
YouTube has announced that the site is "cutting ties" with popular vlogger Logan Paul after he posted a video of a dead body.
12th January 2018
Someone to watch over you
With schools expected to provide "appropriate" levels of monitoring SWGfL's new service offers a helping hand to those drowning in data.
19th July 2017
Monkey Business
We try out the latest app reportedly being misused by adults sharing sexual content.
17th July 2017
Scrap that
How Facebook's new scrapbooks feature provides a space for your child without the need for a profile.
30th June 2017
Schools to benefit from new Assisted Monitoring
Our new assisted monitoring service will help schools protect their communities by helping them monitor what students are doing online.
16th May 2017
Kik and the rise of the porn-bots
Porn-bots are becoming more common, but what are they, and and why are they appearing on the popular messaging app?
20th March 2017
New (ISH) apps and what they do
Even if you know which apps young people use, it can be difficult to know what they all do. Here is our guide to some of those apps and some of the potential risks you should be aware of
16th February 2017
Parenting in a digital age: Body image and your child
This blog is the first in our ‘Beginner’s guide to digital parenting’ series, aimed at addressing parents’ concerns about young people and technology
2nd February 2017
Age Gating Social Media – What does it mean for young people?
Snapchat launches new feature to "age-gate" any content for SnapChatters aged 18 and over. It is great to see Snapchat taking steps to protect and shield younger users from innappropriate content.
24th January 2017
Jokes/Memes too far?
We all love a good joke, and the internet is a place where a “good” joke can spread like wildfire, but it is important when lolling, liking and sharing that we are not laughing at the expense of anyone else
25th October 2016
Anonymoose is the new Yik Yak & Yellow is the new Tinder
Instant messaging and social networks live and die very quickly on the internet in 2016, and the kids populate the new ones very fast. Here is the latest...
25th October 2016
5 first line responses to online safety issues
5 first line responses to help students better to prepare and deal with the potential online safety issues.
5th September 2016
What the Tag?!
Explain what tagging means in online social media websites and give a real-life case.
12th August 2016
Snapchat filters promoting warped beauty ideals?
Whilst they can be fun, lately I have started to question some of the filters and how they may be influencing young people’s idea of beauty, in turn having a negative effect on self-image
8th August 2016
Sexting and Revenge Porn, What’s the difference?
You could be forgiven for thinking RP and sexting are the same thing, they are similar, but they are different especially when we are talking about child online safety and in this article I will try to explain why
12th July 2016
6 smart steps to SnapChat success
So what is SnapChat and why is it so popular? Kids seem to really love it but, like most apps these days, there is potential risk associated. We run through six simple tips and facts to help you understand what SnapChat is and what you need to look out for.
13th June 2016
When I grow up I want to be.....a YouTuber
Vlogger Zoella is reported to earn over £50K a month from YouTube alone...wow! But there are risks associated with vlogging too. We explore both sides of the argument.
13th May 2016
Yik Yak.. What’s the crack?!
Yik Yak, it’s an app that allows users to post in a geographical area anonymously and comes with an age restriction of 17. Yik Yak does not want school children using the app, but of course they are and here lies the challenge...
4th April 2016
International Womens Day: Baiting out the Banter
As part of International Womens Day 2016, I would like to highlight a case of a viral video called “Baiting out skets in London”
8th March 2016
Instagram Gossip Style Pages
We are aware of a growing trend in the UK that we call “baited pages”. These usually appear on Instagram, but we have also seen this on other Social media platforms...
26th January 2016
7 Simple Online Safety Tips for Newly Qualified Teachers
September and the start of term is fast approaching, a daunting time for NQT’s! But while you’re packing your pencil case and finishing off your lesson plans, turn your thoughts to online safety and follow these simple tips in protecting your online identity, and the children you’re teaching.
27th August 2015
Sexting
We all know the biggest worry occurs when those pictures leave the hands of the creator and are shared wider than the intended audience. In some cases ending up being shared by and even sold to paedophiles. The ramifications of this can be huge and emotionally distressing for the victim...
19th August 2015