Daily Safeguarding Update

Online video game players warned of rise in fraud

Players of online video games such as Roblox, Fortnite and FIFA are being warned to watch out for scammers amid concerns that gangs are targeting the platforms.
Multiplayer games boomed during the pandemic lockdowns as a way to socialize.
Research conducted by the UK bank Lloyds found that a fifth of online gamers had been victims of a gaming-related scam, while only a third were aware of how to spot one.
The research revealed that the average player spent 14 hours a week on screen and spent more time and money in-game than before.
Gaming-related scams vary in complexity, ranging from scams where people order consoles that they never receive or downloading malware onto their devices.
These can occur through advertising of ‘add-ons’ to a game at lower prices or phishing, where players are persuaded to divulge valuable personal details.
Full story, here.

Facial recognition technology has begun scanning the faces of thousands of pupils in school canteens.
Nine schools in North Ayrshire started taking payments for school lunches by scanning pupils’ faces last week.
This new system is meant to speed up queues and be more COVID-19 secure than card payments and biometric fingerprint scanners used previously.
Privacy campaigners have expressed concern, and facial recognition practices have caused controversy in the past after being used for security and attendance monitoring.
North Ayrshire council claimed that 97% of children or their parents had consented to the new system, although some parents reported that they were unsure that children had been given enough information.
The Department for Education (DoE) has shared guidance on regulating facial recognition, but schools can decide whether to use the system.
Full story, here.

Headteachers have warned that COVID-19 is causing “educational havoc” this term.
A survey by the Association of School and College Leaders showed that 95% of school leaders reported that teaching and learning has been affected by staff and pupil absence rates due to COVID-19.
The survey involved 567 headteachers and principals of schools and colleges in England.
Approximately 31% of those surveyed reported that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was severe.
COVID-related pupil absence is above 10% in 93 schools, and staff absence is above 10% in 63 schools.
The school leaders’ union warns that more than four in 10 schools are not scheduled for vaccinations before the target date of the October half-term break.
Full story, here.

Cases of psychosis have grown over the past two years in England.
There has been an increasing number of people experiencing hallucinations and delusional thinking amid the stresses of the pandemic.
NHS data shows a 75% increase in the number of people referred to mental health services for their first suspected episode of psychosis between April 2019- April 2021.
This rise continued in July 2021, with 12,655 people referred, up 53% from July 2019.
A study published earlier this month showed that anxiety and depression rates around the world increased in 2020, with women and young people being disproportionately affected.
Data collected by the charity Rethink Mental Illness found that more than 13,000 referrals were made in May 2021 after the first national lockdown.
The charity urges the government to invest more in early intervention for psychosis to prevent further deterioration in people’s mental health.
Full story, here.