Focus of the Week - Online-Safety Livestreaming
Livestreaming is becoming a very popular way for people to broadcast themselves on apps such as Instagram Live, Facebook Live, Periscope, Twitch and YouTube Live. People use these services to broadcast themselves to others, such as their friends, a certain group of people or the general public. Vloggers and celebrities communicate with their fans and disseminate certain messages, including marketing and advertising through livestreaming. Livestreaming is also used as a means to communicate to the world what is happening at a specific moment in time. For example, livestreaming can be used to document breaking news stories. On many occasions this footage is used by some of the large media channels in order to document a breaking story. With all online content, it’s really important to consider what the live streaming content consists of. If your child is viewing a livestream, tell them to:
· Think before you watch-Remember that it is live and you can never be sure exactly what you might see or hear in the video.
· Use reporting tools- If you feel anything in the live stream is offensive, abusive or breaks the rules of the service you are watching it on, then report it. You can report the video but you can also report individual comments.
· Make positive choices- If you comment on a livestream, think carefully about how that will affect the person/people in the video and might reflect on you.
· Tell someone- If you experience anything during a livestream that makes you worried, upset or uncomfortable, then always tells a trusted adult.