VIDEO: Majority of children want better online protection

Friday 19 May 2017

Child care workers in Jersey have backed the findings of an NSPCC survey which found that four in five children feel social media companies are not doing enough to protect them online.

Children who responded to the survey rated Ask.fm and Facebook among the riskiest sites and said they were being exposed to messages of self-harm, bullying and inappropriate images.

The charity surveyed 1,696 11- to 18-year-olds in the UK and they were asked questions on their experiences of signing up to the app, site or game, to assess how appropriate the content was for their age group, and say whether they were able to report and block people, change privacy settings and contact support.

Katherine McGovern, a worker at the Jersey NSPCC said: “Jersey and the Channel Islands are no different to the rest of the UK.”

She warned: “The same way you wouldn’t leave a child unattended in a big city it’s about parents not leaving their child unattended when they are using the internet.”

“Because whilst they can access tremendous information they can also find themselves in places that you wouldn’t want a child to be on their own.”

Peter Frost, Area schools co-ordinator for Jersey, said that in his experience, the biggest threat children face online is inappropriate advertising.

He said: “Often the children that I speak to, and that is mainly primary aged children, it is actually when they are searching and looking for other things, and obviously through social media adverts other things pop up on the screens. And there is often inappropriate advertising or explicit advertising that isn’t suitable for their age.”

 “All children and young people are inquisitive, they explore they go and find things and often don’t have fears and boundaries and often something suddenly somethings might be appearing or being said to them online that aren’t naturally comfortable for them and they don’t know what to do.”

Mr Frost said: “It’s about making sure parents are aware of the types of things that are happening to children,” and added that parents should look out for changes in mood, language and a lack of sharing as signs of potentially unsafe internet usage in their child.

Following the survey results, the NSPCC and O2 launched a 'Share Aware' campaign to encourage the dialogue between children and parents on internet safety because if 80% of young children don't feel that sites and apps are doing enough to protect them the NSPCC believes the role of parents is ever more vital. 

Sharon Copsey, NSPCC Head of Service in South West England, said: “Parents are the first point of call for a child when it comes to staying safe in real life and this is no different when it comes to their online life. Talking to your child and exploring their online world with them is the best way to keep them safe but it can be hard to keep up to speed with the internet and some topics can feel more difficult than others. Share Aware can help by giving parents the tools and confidence to have regular and informed chats with their child so they can get the best out of the internet.” 

Mr Frost agreed that communication is the key to protecting young people online. He said: “Conversations and communication is absolutely imperative”.

His comments were also mirrored by Ms McGovern who, when asked what advice she had for parents, said: “Keep talking to your child, keep talking keep listening and if you’re not sure to get some support from agencies who have got access to those resources. So get in touch with us, have a look at the website have a look at net aware. And just keep talking to your child because you’re the expert when it comes to your child.”

Ms McGovern added: “There are some really useful resources out there for children and young people it is just about getting help to discern what is right for them and what might be inappropriate”.

Net-Aware and resources on the NSPCC website were both given as examples of material available to help keep children safe and comfortable online.