Protect your child
Online grooming can be a difficult issue to tackle with children but there are practical tips and tools you can use to help them recognise when they are at risk and take action.
Online grooming can be a difficult issue to tackle with children but there are practical tips and tools you can use to help them recognise when they are at risk and take action.
With the growth of social media platforms, online games and instant messaging apps, children are able to talk to anyone – friends or strangers – from around the world within minutes. This can benefit many by making them feel less isolated but for some, it can leave them vulnerable to grooming.
From our research, we know that online ‘stranger danger’ is a concern, particularly for younger children. The key thing to remember is that equipping children with the right advice to make smarter choices online can minimise the risks of exposure to online grooming.
To prevent grooming from happening ensure your child is well-informed, uses privacy settings on social networks and knows they can talk to you if they feel unsafe or worried.
Private details which could identify them in the real world – name, age, gender, phone number, home address, school name, and photographs – should only ever be shared with the people they know.
Tell your child to be cautious with what they share online. Remind them that the people they have met online might feel like friends but they may not be who they say they are.
Tell them they must never arrange to meet someone they only know online without a parent present.
Tell them that if something makes them worried or uncomfortable online that they must tell an adult they trust.
The best way to deal with grooming is to prevent it from happening by making sure your child is well-informed, uses privacy settings on social media sites and knows that they can talk to you if they feel unsafe or worried. Teach your children how to stay safe online:
Private details which could identify them in the real world – name, age, gender, phone number, home address, school name, and photographs – should only ever be shared with people they know.
Spend time together looking at the privacy settings that can benefit their online safety. It’s always best to assume that default settings are public and should be changed accordingly. We’ve got some advice on using privacy settings on the most popular social apps.
You will probably use social networks yourself, but you might want to know about new ones that your child is using or wants to use. Use them yourself and set up your own account so you can experience what your child might see. There are also many child-friendly social networks they could use while they get ready for the likes of Snapchat and Instagram.
It’s also important to explore the types of activities they do online. Live streaming, YouTube shorts, video games and social media sites all have different forms of communication. Have conversations about their digital use to stay in the know.
Talk to them about being cautious about what they share with people online. Remind them that even though people they’ve met online might feel like friends they may not be who they say they are.
Never arrange to meet someone they only know online without a parent present.
If something makes your child worried or uncomfortable online their best course of action is always to talk to an adult they trust. You can also direct them to organisations such as Childline.
There is a range of new apps and software that block, filter and monitor online behavior. You’ll need to decide as a family whether this is the right approach for you, taking into consideration your child’s age and maturity, and their need for privacy.
In some games like Minecraft or Roblox people deliberately try to intimidate other players. In multi-player games where gamers talk to one another – you might find abusive language, harassment and there have been instances of grooming. It’s vital therefore that your child knows how to report abuse and talks to you if something is causing them concern.
Use our five top tips to give your child’s smartphone or tablet a health check up to get it set up safe
Take a look at our simple guide on what you need to know about online grooming and how you can protect your child.
Socialising online safety advice for younger children.
Read articleLet them know you are there to help them if they get into trouble online – and if they are concerned about something they can come to you.
Find out what sites they go to, where they met their online friends, how they communicate, and what information they share. Make sure they know that having thousands of online ‘friends’ isn’t always safe.
Teenagers may be very protective of their online network and feel you are interfering with their private lives. However, one of the best ways to support child protection is to make them aware of online harms.
Explain how easy it is to pretend to be someone else online, and why an adult may wish to approach them.
Talk about grooming as you would stranger danger – a stranger is anyone you don’t know, whether in real life or online. Tell them they shouldn’t talk privately or give personal information to anyone they don’t know. Discuss with them what ‘personal information’ is.
Grooming can happen between older children and younger children as well. Learn more about child-on-child abuse to keep yourself and your child informed.
Help children deal with online issues and open up about their digital lives with these simple tips.