Next steps
- Check with an adult who is in the group and what it is for. Ask before inviting new people.
- Agree on three rules: Be respectful, do not share others’ private messages or photos, and do not use the group to exclude someone.
- Read your message before sending. Others may read a joke or emoji differently. Ask what someone meant instead of replying with something hurtful.
- Agree that nobody has to reply straight away. Mute notifications during breaks and in the evening if that is what you choose.
- If someone is being mocked, do not like or share it. Ask whether they need help and tell an adult what is happening.
- If there is pressure or upsetting content, stop chatting and ask an adult for help. Find the app’s options to report, block or leave. You do not have to stay to keep up.
Avoid
- Do not forward intimate or humiliating images, even to show what happened.
- Do not pressure anyone to reply, stay in the group or share something.
For parents
- Discuss the class’s online community with the other adults. Important arrangements must also reach children who do not use the app or have left the group.
- Help with exclusion and conflict without posting your child’s private conversations in the parents’ group.