News#CoronaVirus
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25 April 2020

Educational social network Natterhub launches during COVID-19

Launched during the COVID-19 outbreak by Manjit Sareen and Caroline Allams, Natterhub is a secured social media learning platform for teachers to share with pupils, that lets children thrive online and helps parents keep their children busy during self-isolation.

From September 2020, the Health and Relationships Education aspect of PSHE will become compulsory for all schools across the UK. This new guidance will include different types of relationships – in the real world and online and will improve mental health awareness and safeguard online safety.

Children need not only to be safe online, but they need to know how to navigate their online lives, to be online-aware, savvy and able to question the validity of what they read online. Born in Sheffield, Natterhub aims to support all of these aspects of education in a safe, exciting and engaging environment.

“As children are at home, they are inevitably spending more time online. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the internet offers valuable learning opportunities as well as entertainment. But with this, there are also increased risks for children, especially for those who do not have the necessary guidance and education as they may be vulnerable to inappropriate information or cyberbullying. Sadly, we do expect to see an increase in the number of children being targeted online during this time. It was clear to us that whatever the challenges, now were the right time for us to launch.” – Manjit Sareen, co-founder and CEO, Natterhub

Backed by TwinklHive, the company has decided to launch at a time when children are using devices more than ever before. Initially created to be used in the classroom, the co-founders have made changes to their business model to make it suitable for home-use and available for free to support teachers, parents and carers.

Scary statisitcs, but ones that we can help reduce by supporting our children to be confident digital citizens. Sign up to Natterhub to introduce a safe, gated social media platform in which children can learn to thrive online. #natterhub #natterwhatmatters #twinklhive #onlinesafety #digitalintelligence #medialiteracy #edtech #twinkleducationalpublishing #factvideo

Gepostet von Natterhub am Montag, 6. April 2020

The team have created a ‘social network’ where children can learn important principles such as being kind, careful and respectful. Natterhub is deeply educational and gives pupils lessons and advice for their life beyond school.

Suitable for children aged 5-11 and aligned with the UK National Curriculum, Natterhub lessons are both attractive and interactive and are led by teachers. The platform includes lessons such as how to behave online, when to put down your device, when to get help, how to communicate digitally, etc.

“We know that the internet is a really vital tool for everyone at the moment and a way for children to stay connected to the world and each other. However, the results of this survey do illustrate just how much time children are spending online and we need to be mindful of this. We don’t want people to be afraid to use the internet, but we do want them to have a safe space to learn so that they can thrive online. It is not enough for children just to be safe, they need to know how to navigate their online lives and be aware, savvy, and sceptical about what they read.” – Caroline Allams, co-founder and CCO, Natterhub, and former assistant headteacher