AN app designed to keep children safe online is being made available to school pupils for the first time.
Safer Schools, which was previously offered to teachers, parents and carers, gives advice on issues including safeguarding on social media platforms, bullying and emerging online trends.
Pupils receive different content depending on their year group.
Education minister Peter Weir said the app was designed to support young people, schools, parents and carers with digital safeguarding during the Covid-19 crisis.
"As our children and young people have more free time during the lockdown, it is only natural they will spend more time online. We want to make sure young people have all the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe online," he said.
"Thousands have already downloaded the app and I want to, again, encourage all children, young people, schools, parents and carers to use this essential resource. Keeping our children safe has never been more important."
The Safer Schools app has been offered to the department by the iNEQE Safeguarding Group, run by Jim Gamble.
"As a result of the lockdown, children will be spending more time online than ever before interacting online with their real friends, friends of their friends, who they don't really know, and absolute strangers," Mr Gamble said.
"This app provides everything the child/young person, parent/carer or teacher needs to understand and respond to any potential risk online."
