Ensure that your child’s social media accounts are protected with the available privacy settings. This will enable them to control who can see the information that they share, and who can contact them too. Remind your children that friends made online, irrespective of how kind they are, or how much you have in common, are still ‘strangers’ and might not be who they say they are. Remind the children you work with, that a good friend, both on and offline, should never pressure you into doing something that you don’t feel comfortable with.
If an online friendship has been formed and that person is asking your child for personal information, to meet up, or send an indecent image, your child should speak to you, or another adult they know and trust immediately. If you are worried about the intentions of someone online, or suspect that your child has been contacted by an adult, this can be reported to CEOP.
You may find our Family Agreement, Cyberbullying hot topic, Livestreaming hot topic, and Screentime Boundaries hot topic useful resources for further information.