Lucky children across the country will be hoping to receive new gadgets or shiny new tech this Christmas.
While parents and carers might be looking forward to a little quiet time while their children enjoy their new laptops, games, tablets or consoles, it’s important that we take time to think about how safe those devices are.
The internet is an enormous part of the lives of young people these days, and it can help them with their schoolwork and to keep in touch with their friends and members of their families they may not otherwise see during the holidays.
However, the online world is also a hunting ground for those who wish to contact or do harm to young people, and the ease with which they can approach children through online games, apps and chat sites is worrying.
Recent data analysed by the NSPCC showed police forces across the UK recorded 7,263 sexual communication offences with a child last year. That’s almost double the number recorded when the offence first came into force in 2017/18
Christmas is a fantastic time for families, but it’s important for any parents or carers gifting their children tech this year to be aware of the risks and the precautions they can take to help keep young people safer online.
So if you’re gifting tech to a child this year, remember to take some time between decorating the house and opening presents to check out and set up the safety features on the new device.
Even if you don’t feel that comfortable using tech yourself, brushing up on online safety ahead of the big day is always a good idea. There should be easy to follow instructions when setting up a new device or app, but a manufacturer’s website should also have the information you need, including details on parental controls which help restrict the type of content they can see.
Once the gift is unwrapped, you could even explore these procedures along with your child, enabling you both to learn more about the device, app or game including how to report or block anyone or any material they encounter that upsets them.
Away from the screens though, it’s vitally important for parents and carers to be on the lookout for signs that a young person might need more support following something they’ve experienced online.
Children who have experienced something upsetting online might become more withdrawn or quieter than usual. They may become angry when you try to go near their device, might experience mood swings, issues with sleeping and their mental health, or you may notice other changes to their behaviour.
Having regular, open conversations with children about how they use technology is so important, and online safety doesn’t have to be intimidating.
There is free and simple guidance available on the NSPCC website around online safety which is easy to understand and will help parents start conversations with children about how they use their tech.
If they don’t want to speak to you about what they’ve experienced but they still seem worried or upset by something, remind them they can speak to one of our Childline volunteers.
Anyone wishing to find out more about how to stay safer online can visit the NSPCC’s Online Safety Hub. There’s an online safety quiz parents can take, as well as useful conversation starters for parents and carers, and pages sharing advice for children of different ages.
Children can contact Childline counsellors at any time day or night on 0800 1111 or through the Childline website.
The website also includes lots of information and advice around online safety, as well as access to our specially trained counsellors for private and confidential one to one chats.
In addition, they can access message boards, moderated by our Childline team, where children and young people can speak to others their own age about whatever they are experiencing. Sometimes, knowing someone else has been through similar experiences can be enough to help.