CEOP is a command of the National Crime Agency and is dedicated to tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people. CEOP helps children and young people under the age of 18 who have been forced or manipulated into taking part, or are being pressured to take part, in sexual activity of any kind. This can be both online and offline. The CEOP Safety Centre offers information and advice for children and young people, parents and carers and professionals. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by clicking the Click CEOP button above:
The guide below will help you set up parental controls and adjust privacy settings to provide your child with a safer online environment. Parental controls can help to protect your child from seeing something that they shouldn’t — although it is important to emphasise that no system is effective all of the time, so it is important to engage with your child and talk to them about their online life regularly.
For a wider range of information regarding this subject please see this page https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/social-media-networks–
Social networking sites are a huge favourite with children, allowing them to stay in touch with friends, meet people with similar interests, and share photos and videos. Used appropriately, social networks are a great place for young people to demonstrate their creativity. As a parent, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your children’s experience is both safe and fun.
We recommend you refer to this website for advice on Social Networking: https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/what-age-can-my-child-start-social-networking/
Be Share Aware video – Safety advice from a 10 year old – from the NSPCC & O2
Most Social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube,Twitter, Tumblr, Ask.fm and Snapchat have a lower age limit of 13, this means that no-one under the age of 13 must use these websites.
Sites aimed at younger children, like Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters, also have a social networking element and should be checked before your child uses them.
For a wider range of information regarding this subject please see this page – http://www.internetmatters.org/technologies/apps.html
Although child-friendly apps can make using the internet a more accessible and enjoyable experience, the thousands of apps available for different types of people mean it’s important to make sure children use appropriate ones.
Meeting and chatting with strangers online poses risks to young people who might be vulnerable to grooming and online (and offline) forms of sexual abuse.
With the physical barrier of a screen, some people feel more empowered to pressurise others into sending messages, often of a sexual or derogatory nature.
Many apps share the user’s location. This can put children at risk from others who actively seek out children with the intention of meeting in the real world. Sharing a location can also raise concerns with identity theft and privacy.
Many apps work on the basis of identity or phone number information. In many cases apps don’t always let you know that this information is being used, meaning children could be sharing personal information. As well as on the social networks themselves, privacy and security settings are available on most devices. You can find out more at here Privacy & Identity Theft.
Smartphones allow people to take photos and share them instantly on their social networks or post information about someone online in seconds. Sometimes this can mean young people are even more vulnerable to episodes of cyberbullying.
Although most apps now go through a process of classification and are rated based the type of content they contain, all apps are available to download by anyone who has a password to the app store.
This may expose children to explicit content, sometimes without their parents knowing. Some of this content can be illegal or simply inappropriate for children as it’s meant for adults.
Apps can cost money to buy from the app store – and some of them can be very expensive.
Some of the ‘free’ apps make their money in different ways, by encouraging you to spend money when using the app. This can mean that bills quickly build up without you even realising it. Read more about in-app purchasing.
Some apps have been created with the specific purpose of allowing the user to hide content within them. These decoy apps can protect personal information from strangers but also allow people to hide content they don’t want anyone else to see.
For a wider range of information regarding this subject please see this page – https://www.internetmatters.org/online-gaming
Online gaming means you can play in real time with people across the world through a PC, games console, tablet or smartphone connected to the internet. Games can offer children a world of adventure to immerse themselves in but it’s important to understand how children can stay safe and what games are appropriate for their age.
Click the link below for NSPCC support on a range of topics – lots of really useful information.
