SEPT-DEC 2023 ISSUE - Flipbook - Page 51
Their accounts are shocking, with young
people reporting they routinely view
videos of illegal activity – fights, beatings,
stabbings and sexual assaults; raids;
illegal content including sex acts
involving children; and the sale of
weapons and drugs online. Some have
seen this type of content several times a
day, every day, so much so, that it
actually normalises this behaviour of
aggression, humiliation, violence and
crime. Alarmingly, one young child refers
to the graphic, illegal and disturbing
content as ‘the Evening News’.
They are not viewing this content on the
dark web, finding it buried on hard-toreach websites or through clandestine
underground networks. It is right there
on mainstream social media and
messaging platforms. But we often
remind people that there are no ‘good
apps’ and ‘bad apps’ – it is important to
remember that it is the functionality
which counts, not to mention the
parental controls or lack thereof.
Alarmingly, much of this content goes
unreported - the majority of the children
canvassed for the report said that they
‘wouldn’t consider reporting
inappropriate or violent content
because they have seen what happens
to ‘snitches’’.
Parents should also be made aware of
the impact of accessing pornography on
normalising unhealthy
relationships. In particular the
Children’s Commisioner’s ‘Evidence
on pornography’s influence on
harmful sexual behaviour among
children’, which reveals that the
average age that children first view
pornography is 13, sometimes even
younger, with many unwittingly
accessing it on social media – 27% by
age 11 and 10% by the age of 9 – on
platforms such as Twitter, Snapchat
and Instagram.
Gaming is another area where
children and young people can
inadvertently put themselves at
risk. One of the most revealing and
concerning gaming statistics in the
Ofcom report is that 25% of children
played against someone they did not
know previously, meeting them for the
first time through the game, with 22% of
children also chatting to strangers.
Providing information
So how can we help empower parents to
help safeguard their children at home?
We can provide them with information,
resources and strategies they can access
themselves and share with their children.
LGfL’s ParentSafe site is a great source of
information that can be used for staff-led
presentations or be signposted to parents to access. It not only features
a wide range of videos, the latest
statistics, and activities such as
story-time ideas, a digital family
agreement, conversation starters and
tips to reinforce key safety messages
and establish shared expectations,
but also suggested links to other
resources from ParentZone, CEOP Education, Common Sense Media, Internet
Matters and the NSPCC. Talking to
parents about parental controls and
settings is a great way to encourage
them to make decisions about what their
children can access. Internet Matters is an
excellent site featuring ready-to-use
guides to set up devices safely for a wide
range of devices, apps and platforms.
With Ofcom reporting that only 14% of
children have used the reporting flagging
function that is available with all video
sharing platforms to report threatening
or inappropriate material, it’s crucial to
remind parents to talk to their children
about the reporting channels available
if they experience anything that makes
them uncomfortable or scared online.
As well as how to make a report whether on the social media platform
itself, or coming to talk to them, or a
trusted adult in school. Do your parents
know they can also come and talk to you
if they have concerns or are uncertain
what to do?
Critical thinking is one of the most
important skills for children and young
people to build, so they question what
they see online and stay safe. Schools can
also encourage parents to talk with their
children about fake news, fake followers
and scams, and where they can go to get
information they can trust. Urge them
to share their knowledge and
understanding about relationships;
for example, that sometimes people
may seem nice initially, but turn out to
be mean; so it’s best to develop a healthy
suspicion of whether people really are,
who they say they are.
These statistics can make the extent of
online harms seem overwhelming, but
what’s positive is that children will talk,
and the person they are most likely to
talk to is their parents. This is why it is so
important that we engage with parents
about online safety, so we can help
protect children and young people
together.