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Eastbourne
College

Social Media Awareness

Last week we welcomed Sharon Girling OBE into the school to talk to the pupils and parents about the complexities of staying safe online. Having served in the police, Sharon was at the forefront of a national and international response to online child abuse and developed the processes and procedures that led to the creation of CEOP. It concerns me that so many young people use iMessage, WhatsApp or other forms of social media as their main form of communication rather than face to face dialogue, in the mistaken belief that ‘group chat’ is more profitable. On the contrary, it seems to me that it is more superficial, comments are less considered and there is more potential for realities to be distorted and misinterpreted. Social media is here to stay so Sharon Girling’s talks last week enabled the pupils to understand how they can create an online identity which does not compromise their wellbeing now or in the future. Through a deep knowledge that betters even the most savvy of technologically-minded teenagers, Sharon inspired her audiences with advice and warnings that were eye-opening as the parents who were there will testify. For further really useful advice, please see: https://parentzone.org.uk/. We certainly hope to get Sharon back to St Andrew’s for further insight.