The internet is no stranger to harmful or disturbing content. Earlier this week, our safeguarding network was alerted to several young people mentioning ‘Rule 34’ as a potential source of information regarding sex. But what is the so-called Rule 34 and could it be harmful to children and young people? What is Rule 34?
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Online Training: Now Available! A brand new range of expertly designed courses bringing you up to date with the evolving trends, risks and threats to children in
The pandemic continues to impact how children and young people use online spaces. Now more than ever, it is essential to understand new and emerging apps, games and platforms that can present online risks to children. We are particularly concerned about the surge in the use of ‘friend-finding’ Apps, as authorities have previously warned during the pandemic that around 300,000 online offenders pose a threat to children in the UK. A recent report
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Online Training: Now Available! A brand new range of expertly designed courses bringing you up to date with the evolving trends, risks and threats to children in
Building emotional resilience in young people is essential for their development. The UK is facing a mental health crisis among its young people, with leading youth mental health charity Young Minds reporting that 1 in 6 young people have symptoms of a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety. On the 10th of October,
The Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has disrupted the lives of people all over the world, whilst bringing monumental change to how we teach and care for children and young people. Unfortunately, a major theme of the pandemic has been the spread of misinformation. The internet has played host to
Just like the real world, there are spaces, people, and places online which can be frightening or distressing for young people. Parents and policymakers have expressed concern at the sheer amount of inappropriate material that is freely accessible online, such as pornography or violent videos. Harmful content can include live news, violence, sexualised content
A recent video originating on Facebook Live depicting a man dying by suicide has made its way across popular social media platforms. We’re bringing you key facts and advice on how you can respond. When viral events happen information can travel quickly, often before full details have emerged. You should note that details, videos and
As we quickly become the ‘go-to’ provider for safeguarding training we have now launched our updated prospectus in response to your feedback for training to help you respond to safeguarding in our changing world. We know the challenges of finding the time to keep yourself up to date – so we’re here to make
The digital world is no longer a separate reality, it has become blended into every part of our lives. If you are responsible for a child or young person, opting out of the world of social media is no longer an option for you. By embracing technology you can develop an understanding of the
What is KCSIE? It’s a document that outlines the statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment. Who should read it? All staff in schools and colleges should read at least part 1 of the guidance. What has changed? The latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020
The use of social media within an organisation can bring many benefits and opportunities. Used appropriately, it can reach out to an entire community and provide engaging and timely information. This is especially important today as we are socially distanced and relying on technology and online platforms to communicate. Many people already use
As part of our commitment to support safeguarding professionals to keep children safer, our online safety team continues to monitor the emerging apps and platforms that are seeing new interest from children and young people. Below is a list of 4 platforms that we think
What is it? Facebook have officially rolled out their gaming platform as a brand new App. Facebook Gaming is a separate App to Facebook and is designed for users to stream their gameplay, whilst also watching their favourite streamers play the most popular video games. Although it is a seperate App, it can
What is it? Instagram, which is very popular with young people, has officially launched their latest function ‘Reels’ in the UK. It’s the latest feature to be added to the platform and lets users create short 15 second videos with popular music, different filters and effects. It is largely considered to be Instagram’s
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
What is Sharenting? Many parents use social media to share important moments of their children’s lives with friends and family. Some children’s digital footprints begin before they are even born, when parents share an image of a baby scan to announce their exciting news. Creating a digital footprint for a child by
The 30th of July marks International Friendship Day – a day to celebrate our connections with the people in our lives. The day was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly and places emphasis on involving young people as future leaders and promoters of understanding and respect. It’s also a day to
What are algorithms? We all hear the word ‘algorithms’ in the news so often, and it’s normally in relation to social media. But what exactly is an ‘algorithm’? Algorithms are essentially instructions or procedures that allow computers to operate more effectively. In the online world, they are used to
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Our digital safeguarding team continually review and test social media platforms In the past week, they focused on TikTok, testing its safety features and the effectiveness of the platform’s ability to monitor and remove explicit content The team used a login of a 14 year old to see what content they
Instagram is set to release a new feature called Reels in the UK, potentially by August 2020. We have been keeping track of the release and here is what we know so far. Reels is Instagram’s attempt to match TikTok’s dominance of short form video sharing. The feature is aimed at Instagram’s
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
“We live in a data-driven world. Almost every transaction and interaction you have with most organisations involves you sharing personal data, such as your name, address and birth date. You share data online too, every time you visit a website, search for or buy something, use social media or send an email.” (ICO,
An influencer is someone with an online social media presence and with a large enough following to market or ‘influence’ their audience to buy products, services and goods. The truth is that anyone can be an influencer, and some are famous solely for being an influencer. Popular influencers often create and sustain a