"We need to make children as safe online as in real life"

Thursday 19 October 2017

Parents need to have "continuous" discussions with their children about their online activities to make sure they are safe, a school service co-ordinator for the NSPCC has urged.

The children's charity saw a 9% increase in the number of calls made to its helpline to discuss incidents related to online safety and abuse between 2016 and 2017.

As part of their latest campaign, 'How safe are our children?,' the NSPCC also asked around 1,700 children between the age of 11 and 18 to review the most popular social networking sites, apps and games among their age group. 30% of those reviews reported seeing violence and hatred, compared to 26% in the previous year.

While inappropriate content seems to spread even more every year, there is the added worry that more children face the risk of accessing it inadvertently. Peter Frost, the NSPCC school service co-ordinator for Plymouth, Cornwall and the Channel Islands says that the charity sometimes hears of children aged as young as three using devices connected to the Internet. Yet, it's older children who use social media sites, messaging apps or play games online who are the most at risk.

Video: According to the NSPCC, at least two pupils in the average UK primary school class have suffered from abuse or neglect.The 'Speak out. Stay safe.' initiative teaches youngsters about how to spot the signs of abuse, and encourages them to talk about it.

Mr Frost says: "The children of today are different to the ones five years ago. They are much more online aware and there are a lot of mobile phones available. Families think that it makes them safe to have a phone so they can be contacted but with smartphones it is not always the case. We talk to children about the issues of abuse and bullying but we need to make them as safe online as in real life."

For Mr Frost, a former headteacher, the main thing parents can do is talk to their children. "Parents need to continually have a conversation with their children about what they are feeling. And they need to be asking the question in different ways, at different times, so that the child is not expecting the 'talk' every Friday. They also need to be spending time with their children, asking them to talk about the games they are playing. Parents don't always know or are aware of what their child is doing online or who they are talking to. It's not always just children they are at school with and it's important to have a conversation about this online activity."

Another challenge the internet poses is its ever-changing nature. New apps and games surface every day which parents are not always familiar with. To help parents in the right direction, the NSPCC has a set of resources available on its website including courses and expert advice. They also partnered with O2 in the UK so that parents can access technical support for free to change the privacy settings on their children's devices. This service is also available to Jersey parents online or on the phone. Mr Frost explains: "Whatever the model of their phone or network provider, parents can contact O2 and receive assistance about online safety. Experts on the phone will be able to guide them to modify settings to make sure their child is as safe as possible. Online safety is something we are constantly working on."

Pictured: Peter Frost speaking to children at Grouville school during one of the NSPCC's 'Speak out, Stay safe' assemblies.

The school co-ordinator is visiting Jersey's school this week to talk to children about the different sorts of abuse, how to recognise them and who they can speak to about their worries or concerns. In total, Mr Frost will have spoken in front of over 1,100 children from Year 1 to Year 6 to highlight the issues the NSPCC provides support for. While older children discussed all the things that make them feel unsafe, from abuse to neglect, bullying and sexual abuse, younger ones were simply told that it's not ok to hurt children and taught to remember the number for the child helpline, simple steps that can make them feel safer says Mr Frost.  "It's about really listening and telling them where they can get the help they need. It's always very positive and the children were very focused during the assembly at Grouville School. Adults are always surprised at how attentive they are and how they take things on board."