YouTube announce new parental controls for YouTube Kids

Google have announced that it will add more parental controls to its YouTube Kids app. In this blog we look at what those new controls are and why they have come into place.

What is YouTube Kids?

YouTube Kids is an app created to be a family-friendly version of YouTube for younger children, with parental control features and video filters in place.

New parental controls

Over the course of the next year, YouTube will be introducing three new parental control options in YouTube Kids:

• Collections by trusted partners and YouTube Kids (introduced this week)
  This will allow parents to select the channels, collections of videos and topics they want their kids to access.
  To do this: go into Profile Settings, and select from available collections such as Sesame Workshop and PBS KIDS.
  

  YouTube have said that they will continue to add more partners to the available collections list over time.

• Parent approved content (coming soon)
  This feature will allow parents to specifically handpick every video and channel available to their child in the app. This means that their children will not be able to see any content other than that which is handpicked by the parent or carer.
• Improved search-off control (starting this week)
  Starting this week turning the ‘search function’ off will limit the YouTube Kids experience to channels that have been verified by the YouTube Kids team. This means that ‘search off’ will not include recommendations from the broader YouTube Kids community.

For parents who like the current version of YouTube Kids, the usual settings and wider selection of content are still available.

The need for this

YouTube currently uses algorithms to decide which videos can appear on YouTube Kids. This means that any video that is posted onto YouTube could appear on YouTube Kids if it meets the algorithm threshold and YouTube consider it to be suitable for younger viewers.

BBC Newsround found some videos on YouTube Kids which showed popular children’s TV characters in situations that younger viewers may find disturbing or upsetting.

These new parental controls are designed to help parents minimise the amount of unsuitable content that their child may come across on YouTube Kids.

Further advice

Although YouTube Kids can be helpful, remember that no parental controls are perfect and that you may need to take some additional steps to ensure that your child is staying safe online. Some steps you can take are:

• Have a conversation about what they enjoy watching
  Why not ask your child about the YouTube channels and videos they enjoy watching. By maintaining an open dialogue with your child and encouraging them to talk to you about their internet use, parents can help children access the amazing resources the internet has to offer whilst keeping them safe online.
• Decide together what they are going to watch
  Help your child  to make decision about the type of content they are going to watch next, this way it is more of a discussion between you both rather than it seeming like a purely parental decision. This can help your child to see why certain content may be more suitable for them, and help shape their future choices.
• Create a Family Agreement
  A family agreement is a great way to start a conversation with your whole family about how you all use the internet and discuss together how to behave in a positive way when online at home, at school or at a friend’s house.

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Age Restrictions on Social Media Services

WhatsApp have just announced a new age limit of 16 for users based in Europe. With the upcoming changes to Data Protection rules in the EU, this blog looks at what age restrictions are in place across the most popular social media services, why they exist and what our advice is for parents and young people.

Which social media services are age restricted?

WhatsApp have just announced a change to their terms and conditions for users based in Europe. Users will now need to be 16 to use WhatsApp.

Nearly all other social media services require users to be at least 13 years of age to access and use their services. This includes Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Musical.ly and Skype.

Whilst there is no age restriction for watching videos on YouTube, users need to be 13 or older to have their own YouTube account (enabling them to subscribe to other channels, like videos, post comments, share their own content and flag inappropriate content).

Why do these restrictions exist?

The reason most social media services use an age limit of 13 or over is in part because of a law in the USA. The COPPA law or Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act states that any organisations or people operating online services (including social media services) are not allowed to collect the personal information of anyone under the age of 13 without parental permission.

To avoid the necessity of obtaining parental permission for any user under the age of 13, most services have instead chosen to place an age restriction of 13 to their services. They write this rule into their Terms and Conditions – which users must agree to when they initially sign up and some services may ask users to declare their age during sign up.

WhatsApp’s new age limit has been chosen in response to the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect from the 25th May 2018 and will only apply in the European region, and not elsewhere (e.g. the USA).

Users, and the parents of users, should expect to see more communications from companies and others over the coming weeks as they work to ensure that they are complying with the new General Data Protection Regulation.

What do we advise?

Whilst COPPA and GDPR exist to protect the personal information of children, there are also other elements of social media use which may not be appropriate for young users. Our Hot Topic for parents and carers provides more detail and guidance on these risks.

Our advice with regards to age restrictions is that it’s always better to wait until the required age to join any social media service. These rules around age relate to privacy, but also are relevant to safety. Some services offer additional protection for users who are registered as under 18, and by supplying a fake age young people can potentially lose some of this protection. Young people also risk being exposed to content which is intended for older users when they use sites that are not designed for people their age.

Additionally, if a service finds out a user is underage then they may delete the user’s account and any content which has been shared.

We know that social media services are popular with young people of all ages. Parents have an important role in helping prepare their children to go online before they start to use social media platforms. Together you can look at the key things they need to know about staying safe online, critical thinking, and the safety settings that are available to them.

When looking at creating a profile online with your child, have a discussion as a family and make this decision together – talk about why they want the account and ensure that any family members using social media know what tools are available to help them stay safe. You may want to use our family agreement to support with this.

The information on age restrictions in this blog was correct at the time of publishing.

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Professionals Online Safety Helpline update: (January – March 2018)

The Professionals Online Safety Helpline provides free support to members of the children’s workforce in the UK with an online safety concern. In this blog Kat Tremlett, Helpline Practitioner, offers an insight into the type of cases the helpline has been dealing with over the last 3 months.

The categories under which we record online issues changed as of the 1st January this year and we have just submitted our first report to Insafe using these. The headline stats from this report were that 20% of all contacts were about potentially harmful content, 20% about online reputation, 16% about data privacy concerns and 15% about questions to do with media literacy

Handling allegations

A large portion of the potentially harmful content cases during this quarter lead back to historic or current allegations of abuse. Sadly, these are becoming more common and knowing how to respond in the correct way can seem like a bit of a maze for designated safeguarding leads (DSL’s).

The complexity is magnified 10 fold when you add into the mix every Local Authority (LA) having a different protocol for how to respond to a report of an allegation. Furthermore, in the cases we’ve been responding to recently, the Local Authority Designated Officer’s (LADO’s) handling of an allegation can vary dramatically if it comes from an online source rather than verbally or via the police.

It’s vital that any allegation of abuse is taken seriously regardless of how it is made or discovered (i.e. online, verbally, via the police) and, if the allegation is serious that at the very least the LADO calls a strategy meeting to discuss further action.

Lack of resources for young people with Special Education Needs and/ or a Disability (SEND)

The majority of cases about media literacy were requests for resources about online safety for young people with SEND. There is a real lack of resources and understanding in this area in the UK and little support for professionals trying to help young people. In particular how a young person with SEND’s social cues differ to other young people their age making them more vulnerable online. In reality this comes back to the age old argument of the behaviour being the thing to work on rather than the technology itself.

Risky behaviours

A handful of cases highlighted young people under 16 engaging in risky sexual behaviours online. One of our helpline practitioners discovered the hashtag #Paypalme is being used to solicit sexual acts/ sending of indecent images when money is paid into account holder’s (often under 16) PayPal account leading to clear CSE concerns. 

Sugar Daddy style dating apps such as Seeking Arrangements are also being used by some under 16 year olds as a way of earning money. These behaviours are extremely risky placing young people, potentially under the age of consent, in very vulnerable situation. Safeguarding processes should be followed if they come to light

The Game of the month

Fortnite –The helpline has received several calls about this game recently in the wake of scaremongering articles about it in the national media and well intentioned safeguarding messages sent out from local authorities to schools across the UK. Its PEGI rated 12 but does have a lot of cartoon style violence in it. This shouldn’t’ really be a problem if younger players are supervised well. The general problems we see on these type of games are not associated with the game itself rather the online chat that can be turned on allowing younger users to potentially speak to strangers. We advise that parents supervise any game play where this functionality is enabled and would remind them that you can turn off the online chat function from within the gaming device, in this case most likely Xbox Live. Our friend Andy Robertson gives parent’s all the information they need to know about the game here: www.askaboutgames.com/parents-guide-to-fortnite-pegi-12/ .

Contact us

If you’re a member of the children’s’ workforce requiring assistance with an online safety concern, please contact the Professionals Online Safety Helpline for further advice:

0344 381 4772

helpline@saferinternet.org.uk

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UK Safer Internet Centre a finalist in 2018 ISPA Awards

We are delighted to announce that the UK Safer Internet Centre has been shortlisted for an ISPA award under the category Best Project or Partnership.

The UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA), which hosts the awards, has chosen the UK Safer Internet Centre as a worthy candidate for the Best Project or Partnership Award 2018, which is one of three new awards added for 2018.

The UKSIC Partnership

The UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading organisations: Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL, with one mission - to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for young people.

The partnership was appointed by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre for the UK in January 2011 and is one of the 31 Safer Internet Centres of the Insafe network. The centre has three main functions:

1. Awareness Centre: to provide advice and support to children and young people, parents and carers, schools and the children’s workforce and to coordinate Safer Internet Day across the UK.
2. Helpline: to provide support to professionals working with children and young people with online safety issues.
3. Hotline: an anonymous and safe place to report and remove child sexual abuse imagery and videos, wherever they are found in the world.

Will Gardner, UKSIC Director and Childnet CEO, said:

“I am honoured that the UK Safer Internet Centre has been shortlisted for the project or partnership category in this year’s ISPA awards. This partnership of three leading charities allows us to help young people around the country to be safe online, as well as to help those who are supporting young people.

“Our work as the UK Safer Internet Centre grows each year, with Safer Internet Day 2018 engaging more supporters and reaching 45% of young people in the UK with real impact.”

20th Anniversary Award

UKSIC partner the IWF have also been nominated for the ISPA 20th Anniversary Award.

The IWF has been nominated for its work with the internet industry over the last 20 years and its success in keeping the UK internet clear of online child sexual abuse content. Less than 1% is now hosted in the UK compared with 18% when the UK was first set up in 1996.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF CEO, said:

“I’m so proud that the IWF has been nominated to win an ISPA award.  Our analysts are world class and have worked incredibly hard to remove child sexual abuse imagery from the internet over the past 20 years. To have this success recognised by the internet industry is something which means a great deal to the whole team.

“Our work in the UK Safer Internet Centre is helping children across the country to stay safe on the internet, and the partnership with Childnet International and SWGfL has been fantastic. We’re thrilled to see the partnership be nominated for an award.”

The finalists for 2018 will be scrutinised by an “independent panel of industry experts,” while broadband ISPs, website hosts and VoIP providers must undergo technical testing.

The winners will all be announced during an event held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on the 12th July 2018.

To read more about the ISPA Awards, go to www.ispa.org.uk/ispa-awards

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South West Grid for Learning and GDPR in Schools played active role on DfE GDPR Stakeholder Group

DfE Publishes GDPR Toolkit for Schools

To mark today’s launch of the Department for Education’s GDPR Toolkit for Schools, SWGfL ,a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre, and GDPR in Schools, who both helped with its development, have today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

With the implementation of GDPR just weeks away the toolkit will offer schools valuable advice and guidance on ensuring they are able to comply with the new regulation.
 

“It is true that no two schools will be the same in how they comply with the requirements. This toolkit is intended to support schools in developing the policies and processes that are right for them. It has been developed by the Department for Education (DfE) working in collaboration with schools, multi-academy trusts (MATs), local authorities (LAs), system suppliers, GDPR support providers and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).” Department for Education, GDPR Toolkit

The release of the toolkit is a credit to the commitment of all involved and both SWGfL and GDPR in Schools have worked hard to ensure schools can feel safe in the knowledge that the information and guidance available to them is accurate.

Talking about GDPR in Schools’ contribution, Lynne Taylor, CEO of GDPR in Schools, commented “We are proud to be part of the group helping the DfE create the GDPR Toolkit for Schools. Like the South West Grid for Learning, we passionately believe that the GDPR initiative in schools will strengthen existing good practices in data protection by enhancing already sound procedures and methods”.

 The two organisations have signed the MoU to reflect a close working partnership between SWGfL and GDPR in Schools and to ensure that both SWGfL’s 360Data and GDPR in Schools’ GDPRiS platforms align closely to the materials within the DfE Toolkit.

Andrew Williams, SWGfL Online Safety Consultant and Data Protection specialist said:

“This formally brings together two organisations that are at the forefront of readying education settings for the new GDPR legislation that will soon come into effect.

“The partnership has many benefits including having access to shared resources and expertise. The MOU recognises the importance of building on this collaborative approach that strengthens both organisations and enables us to better help schools ensure they meet the new data protection regulations.”

Tony Sheppard, Operations Manager for GDPR in Schools, stated,

“This MOU has fostered a closer working partnership, bringing together a depth of experience and understanding of schools. By benchmarking our platforms together, we have been able to see where we truly complement each other.

“SWGfL’s 360Data gives schools clear support as they build their confidence in the use and management of data and when combined with our supplier data maps and audit records, truly gives schools a comprehensive picture of their growing maturity and ability to demonstrate both compliance and how they support their staff, parents and, most importantly, children with how data is collected and used.”

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SWGfL publishes new GDPR guidance for schools and colleges

In preparation for new GDPR legislation, which comes into effect on 25th May 2018, SWGfL, a partner in The UK Safer Internet Centre, has published advice and guidance to help schools and colleges when it comes to managing personal data.

The area of personal data protection is a current and high profile issue for schools, colleges and other organisations. It is important that they have a clear and well understood personal data handling policy in order to minimise the risk of personal data breaches. 

These resources offer schools and colleges advice and guidance to use alongside their own data protection policy on managing personal data.

Please Note: These resources are not intended to provide legal advice and the school / college is encouraged to seek their own legal counsel when considering their management of personal data.

GDPR Advice and Guidance for Schools and Colleges

Data Protection in schools and colleges: Questions from the Governing Board/Trustees/Directors

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IWF publishes latest Annual Report to reveal online child abuse imagery up by a third

Figures released today (April 18, 2018) the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the charity that searches for and removes online child sexual abuse imagery, a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre, show that more of this disturbing material is being found than ever before.

The data is published in the IWF’s Annual Report, which provides a yearly global measure of the number of online images and videos of children being sexually abused to government, the police and the internet industry. The eagerly awaited report also contains trends in how services are being abused by offenders to host this illegal material.

Key figures and trends include:

• Confirmed child sexual abuse URLs (2017) 78,589.This is up by 37% from 57,335 in 2016.
• Severity up.Category A content, which includes the rape and sexual torture of children, is up by 5%, from 28% of all content to 33%.
• Disguised website abuse in unprecedented increase. The IWF saw a 86% rise in use of disguised websites, from 1,572 in 2016 to 2,909 in 2017. This implicates increased intelligence among offenders, who may be going to new lengths to evade detection.
• Europe worst offender for hosting.Europe now hosts 65% of all confirmed IWF child sexual abuse imagery. This is up from 60% last year. The Netherlands continues to be the worst country for hosting child sexual abuse material.
• Website brands.The number of child sexual abuse website brands rose by 112%.
• Websites and newsgroups.In total, 80,318 reports of confirmed child sexual abuse were processed by the IWF, up from 59,548 in 2016. This was a 35% increase.
• Read the IWF’s full 2017 Annual Report here

Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF CEO, said: “Our Annual Report is used as a reference and information tool, to give an accurate global picture of online child sexual abuse imagery. I’m incredibly proud that our Hotline has been able to remove more webpages that contain disturbing images of children being abused, than ever before from the internet. We share our analysis of trends with our partners – in government, law enforcement and industry, so that together we can fight this horrific crime.”

Much of the analysis for the 2017 IWF Annual Report makes for uncomfortable reading, with the images and videos found having increased in their severity. The most serious Category A images, depicting rape and sexual torture, rose to 33% from 28%. Category B images rose from 19% to 21%.

Significantly, the IWF also saw an increase of 86% in disguised websites, from 1,572 websites in 2016, to 2,909 in 2017. These are websites where the child sexual abuse content is only revealed to someone who has followed a pre-set digital pathway. To anyone else, they will only show legal content. This finding indicates an increased intelligence among a select number of offenders, who are going to new lengths to evade detection.

Europe now accounts for 65% of all child sexual abuse imagery the IWF sees, up from 60% last year. It continues to be the worst continent for child sexual abuse material. The top hosting countries of child sexual abuse URLs are the Netherlands, USA, Canada, France and Russia. The Netherlands now hosts 36% of child sexual abuse content, down from 37% last year, while North America has decreased by more than 4% from 22% to 18%. Overall, 87% of all child sexual abuse URLs identified globally in 2017 were hosted in just these top five countries.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF CEO and a Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre said:

“We are now receiving more reports of child sexual abuse content than ever before. This year we’re seeing offenders getting smarter and finding new ways to abuse legitimate internet services. Our trends analysis tracks this development. It’s concerning that offenders appear to be increasingly using concealed digital pathways to prevent law enforcement and hotlines around the world detecting these criminal websites. We are making huge technological advances, which we’ll be announcing later in the year, but we also need to continue to work globally, in partnership, to fight this disturbing crime. This battle cannot be won in isolation.

“The child victims of sexual abuse online are revictimised again and again, every time their picture is shared. The experience they go through at such a young age is unimaginably horrific, and they frequently take this pain into adulthood with them. That’s why at the IWF we fight every day to make sure these images and videos are removed from the internet, so that victims are no longer forced to live with the torment of others seeing the images of their abuse online.

“While I’m so proud of our Hotline for the sheer number of child sexual abuse URLs they’re removing online, these figures show what a vast amount of content is out there. Sadly, this could just be the tip of the iceberg.”

Read the IWF 2017 Annual Report

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The impact of social media and screen-use on young people's health

The UK Safer Internet Centre has responded to The Science and Technology Committee’s inquiry into the impact of social media and screen-use on young people’s health.

This month The Science and Technology Committee conducted a consultation relating to the impact of social media and screen-use on young people’s health.

The UK Safer Internet Centre response

The executive summary highlights the UK safer Internet Centres key response to this consultation:

• Technology brings many benefits to children and young people for creativity, learning, connection, self-expression, support and advice. The internet provides an essential means for children to claim and fulfil their rights as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is important to ensure that any policy or intervention to protect and empower children online does not restrict their access to the opportunities offered by technology.
• While digital technology offers many opportunities, it can also expose children and young people to risks, including of content, contact and conduct, such exposure to pornography, grooming, bullying, sexting, sexual harassment and excessive use. The internet can also magnify peer pressure and create constant comparison that places unrealistic demands on young people, for example around body image and popularity. This can have a significant impact on young people’s self-worth and self-esteem and the way young people build relationships.
• We all have a responsibility to work collaboratively to promote children and young people’s wellbeing online, and there is a key role for everyone to play, including industry, educators, policymakers, parents, carers and young people themselves. It is essential we address this on a society-wide level, with improved support and education for young people to promote their wellbeing, self-esteem and socio-emotional skills, as well as steps from industry to fulfil their duty to create an online environment that supports the wellbeing of children and young people.

Read the full response

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Picture This – drama resource about sexting Updated for 2018

Educators can now access the updated version of our educational resource looking at issues around sexting.

Created as part of Childnet’s work in the UK Safer Internet Centre, Picture This is a practical educational sexting resource that addresses and questions the sensitive issue of sexting with 11-16 year olds. By asking young people to step into the shoes of the characters within Picture This, they explore the impact and consequence of sexting and are encouraged to contemplate their online behaviour.

Updated for a 2018 audience, and released in time for the summer term, the play script and accompanying lesson plans within Picture This have been designed to use as either a classroom discussion activity or performed as a larger scheme of work for a peer led project.

Research from project deSHAME in 2017 found that 14% of young people aged 13-17 said they had sent nude or nearly nude images of themselves to a boyfriend/girlfriend. In 2017 research by the UK safer Internet Centre revealed that out of 1,500 13-17 year olds surveyed,  almost half (45%) of have seen nude or nearly nude photos of someone they know being shared around their school or local community. This highlights the need for a practical way of talking about the issues and consequences surrounding sexting.

What’s included in the update?

The Picture This resource pack comprises of a 25 minute play script, supporting lesson plans and lesson guidance films. The new pack includes:

• Updated play script and lesson plans
• Updated information about the law on sexting
• Guidance for educators on how to deal with disclosures
• Short guidance films to show you how to run each lesson

We have also included three suggested endings for practitioners to work on with their pupils in order to finalise the play and decide what the outcome could be. This addition will encourage young people to decide how the characters should behave and choose that vital next step.

When dealing with difficult subjects, role play can be an effective teaching tool and distancing technique to educate about critical thinking, empathy and to ultimately rethink behaviour.

Whether you decide to use Picture This as a classroom resource or a performance piece, it will help your pupils to research, dissect and understand what sexting is truly about and to consider their own online actions.

See the full resource

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Safer Internet Day 2018 reaches 45% of young people in the UK

The Safer Internet Day 2018 Impact Report has been published by the UK Safer Internet Centre.

The impact report looks at the reach of Safer Internet Day 2018 and the positive impact that it had on children, young people, parents, carers, and teachers.

Safer Internet Day 2018 was the biggest one yet! This was due to the collective actions across the UK!

• 45% of young people aged 8-17 and 30% of parents heard about Safer Internet Day in 2018, this is up from 42% of Children and 23% of parents in 2017.
• 1,772 organisations got behind Safer Internet Day and ran activities across the UK
• 9.1 million reached through a mass social media post on the 6th February, with #SID2018 trending all day on social media
• Over 800,000 downloads of educational resources
• Over 500,00 views of Safer Internet Day video content

Read the full Impact Report

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Exploring Education for a Connected World: Online Relationships

This blog series from SWGfL, a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre, Ken Corish, Online Safety Dirctor, takes an in-depth look at the new UKCCIS framework for educators “Education for a Connected World”. 

Across all eight strands, from under-5’s right up 18  year olds, we discuss the topics covered in the framework and how the content could be used to shape appropriate and effective engagement .

Part Two - Online Relationships

Thousands of years of human social evolution have seen the human race evolve complex linguistic and physical systems to enable communication with each other: vocabulary; intonation; body language; facial expression; gestures; eye contact; skin flushing. And they differentiate across the planet according to culture, belief, experience and custom. 

These evolved, sometimes innate, finely tuned behaviours are capable of great nuance and meaning and are intended to add clarity and unambiguity to the complex relationships we share with everyone we meet.

And yet the last 10 years has seen technology rapidly evolve to offer unrivalled potential for us all to connect in powerful ways. It crosses geography, cultures and timezones and has become interwoven within the fabric of many people’s lives. 

What is the impact of this relatively new environment on how relationships are formed? How does it shape behaviour and the interactions that result? Are online relationships as valid and as nuanced as those we conduct within the physical world?

It is often argued that there is no difference between on and offline interaction; it’s life; the boundaries have blurred, particularly for the generation of children and young people and adults for whom online technology has always been there. However, there is evidence that the behavioural drivers for online relationships are different. 

“The Online Disinhibition Effect”

As far back as 2004, John Suler, professor of psychology at Rider University, published an article titled “The Online Disinhibition Effect,“ which analysed characteristics of internet interactions that contributed to this effect. He describes two main categories of behaviour that fall under the online disinhibition effect. These two categories are:

• Benign disinhibition, and
• Toxic disinhibition

Benign disinhibition describes behaviour in which people might self-disclose more on the internet than they would in real life, or go out of their way to help someone or show kindness. Toxic disinhibition describes behaviour that includes rude language, threats, and visiting places of pornography, crime, and violence on the internet–places the person might not go to in real life.

These behaviours are often driven by the particular nature of online communication:

• You don’t know me (dissociative anonymity)
• You can’t see me (invisibility)
• See you later! (synchronicity or atemporal commentary)
• It’s all in my head; it’s not real! (solipsistic introjection)
• It’s just a game! (dissociative imagination)
• Your rules don’t apply here! (minimising status)

Whilst these factors can drive both positive and negative behaviour, they highlight the need to provide education, guidance and support that reflects children and young people’s experiences online. It should provide opportunities to discuss, explore and learn in a way that achieves outcomes that not only keep them safe from harm, but empowers them to flourish as online social individuals.

Education for a Connected World

“Education for a Connected World” from UKCCIS has developed a strand of its global framework that focuses on Online Relationships. It explores how technology shapes communication styles and identifies strategies for positive relationships in online communities. It offers opportunities to to discuss relationships and behaviours that may lead to harm and how positive online interaction can empower and amplify voice.

Early Years to 7 years old

• Ways technology can allow us to communicate with those we know
• How we can begin to communicate with those we don’t know well
• Ground rules for considerate and empathetic behaviours

7 to 11 years old

• Explores trust and finding common links with others
• More sophisticated ways of communication beyond verbal
• Respect and Empathy
• Making positive contributions and establishing collaborations
• Identifying escalation and flashpoint
• Strategies for supporting peers

11 to 14 years old

• Negative and harmful communications and assessing risks (eg coercion, grooming)
• Contributing positively to online debate, discussion or argument
• Challenges raised by certain sexual behaviours online
• Reporting and gaining support

14 to 18 years old

• Positive contribution to diverse online communities
• Identifying controlling behaviours online
• UK Laws governing online behaviours and those of other countries
• Freedom of expression versus legal accountability
• Whistleblowing
• Mobilising online community to amplify voice or achieve outcomes

Upcoming resources

SWGfL is currently in the process of developing supporting resource and content for each one of the 150 statements in the framework, managed through a FREE online portal for any adult to use. 

The next blog in this series will take a deeper look at the third strand of the framework, Online Reputation.

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38% of teachers aware of sexual harassment among pupils

This week NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union published research into pupil wellbeing, mental health and experiences of sexual harassment.

The research of over 1,000 UK teachers found that large numbers were aware of various forms of online sexual harassment in their schools. This included:

• 38% saying they have been aware of pupils they teach sexually harassing other pupils in the last year
• 86% saying they are aware of pupils sharing messages, photos or videos of a sexual nature with one another
• More than one in ten (11%) saying they are aware of pupils capturing or sharing photos or videos up teachers’ skirts or down their tops in the last year
• 70% saying they are aware of pupils being bullied online or via mobile phone outside the school day.

These findings highlight a need for education and increased reporting of online sexual harassment. For the past year, we have been working on a project to fulfil this need - Project deSHAME. This work aims to provide schools and youth settings with resources and advice to educate, respond to and prevent online sexual harassment amongst young people.

Project deSHAME

Project deSHAME is a collaboration between Childnet (a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre), Save the Children (Denmark), Kek Vonal (Hungary) and UCLan (UK), co-financed by the EU.

It aims to increase reporting of online sexual harassment among minors and improve multi-sector cooperation in preventing and responding to this behaviour.

The project is centred on close collaboration with young people, there is a Youth Advisory Board in each of the three countries which advises and consults on every stage of the project. Similarly, to ensure consultation with a wide range of experts, there is also an Expert Advisory Board in each country consisting of representatives from industry, teachers, government, police, charities and other key stakeholders

What is online sexual harassment?

Online sexual harassment is unwanted sexual conduct on any digital platform, and it is recognised as a form of sexual violence. It encompasses a wide range of behaviours that use digital content (images, videos, posts, messages, pages) on a variety of different platforms (private or public).

It can make a person feel threatened, exploited, coerced, humiliated, upset, sexualised or discriminated against.

Project deSHAME specifically focuses on peer-to-peer online sexual harassment taking place between young people.

Our findings

As part of Project deSHAMe we conducted research of over 1,500 teenagers in the UK, finding that:

• 23% of 13-17s said they have seen people secretly taking sexual pictures of someone and sharing them online - 10% admitted they have done this themselves.
• Over half of UK respondents aged 13-17 years (51%) said they have witnessed people their age circulating nude or nearly nude images of someone they know, while 6% have been the target of this behaviour.
• 12% of UK teens said their boyfriend or girlfriend had pressured them to share nude images in the last year, with girls being more likely to report this (14%) than boys (7%).

Resources for Teachers and Police

Project deSHAME will see the development of a range of education, training and awareness materials as well as practical tools for multi-sector prevention and response strategies. These resources will be piloted in Autumn term 2018, and will be launched publicly in early 2019.

If your school is interested in piloting the resources please contact ellie@childnet.com

Other advice and resources

There are a number of other resources and sources of support available now.

If you are concerned about online sexual harassment, you can speak to one of the helplines below. 

For young people

Encourage young people to speak to a trusted adult, they can also contact:

• Childline
• The Mix

If you a young person is worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with them online, you can make a report to one of CEOP’s child protection advisors https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

For teachers, police, social workers and other professionals

• Professionals Online Safety Helpline 

For adults

• NSPCC Helpline
• Revenge Porn Helpline 
• Family Lives Parentline

You can find more sources of support about relationship abuse on the Disrespect Nobody site. 

Educational resources

There are a range of resources that can help empower children and young people to use technology safely and positively and to develop healthy relationships both online and offline. 

Relevant resources include: 

• Crossing the Line: A practical online safety PSHE toolkit from Childnet with films and lesson plans to explore online issues, including homophobic cyberbullying and sexting, with pupils aged 11-14 years old. 
• So you got naked online? A guide from the South West Grid for Learning to help young people deal with issues relating to sexting. 
• CEOP’s Thinkuknow resource library: Resources about healthy relationships and sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Disrespect Nobody: Resources about healthy relationships and relationship abuse
• Agenda: A young people’s guide to making positive relationships matters
• Stonewall: Resources to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and help create more inclusive spaces
• Lockers: Resource from the Irish Safer Internet Centre about sexting and consent.

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A closer look at the Childnet Film Competition

As part of Childnet’s work in the UK Safer Internet Centre, we recently launched the Childnet Film Competition 2018. This year we are asking young people to create a short film to educate their peers about online safety, with a focus on the theme: ‘Connect with respect - a better internet starts with us!’

What is the Childnet Film Competition?

Since 2009 Childnet have run an annual film competition open to all schools and youth organisations in the UK. The Childnet Film Competition invites young people aged 7-18 to take on the challenge of creating a short film about internet safety.

The competition gives young people the opportunity to harness their creativity and share their understanding of online safety issues. These films are then used in schools across the UK to help teach about online safety.

The six films which are the most engaging, creative and which deliver the online safety messages the best will be shortlisted for the final. These six shortlisted entries (3 from secondary, 3 from primary) are then judged by an expert panel who decide who will take home the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies.

Find out more about entering the Film Competition

Introducing the judges

We are very excited to announce the 2018 Childnet Film Competition judges! Returning to judge this year’s competition are:

• David Austin OBE - Chief Executive, British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
• Joanna van der Meer - Film Tutor and Family Learning Programmer, BFI Southbank
• Catherine McAllister - Lead for online safety and Head of Safeguarding in the Children’s department, BBC

Joining us as a judge for the first time is Lisa Prime, Children’s Events Programmer at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Lisa told us what she is looking forward to about being a Childnet Film Competition judge:

As someone working with children and the media industry, and as a parent of a teenager, internet safety is a major concern of mine. I am really interested to see the different interpretations of the theme, it’s always fascinating to see the variety of viewpoints when everyone starts from the same position.  I’m looking for strong messaging, originality and a film that will challenge me and stay in my memory.  

The finalist’s event

At the end of the competition is the finalist’s event. This is where the shortlisted entrants in each category come together at the BFI, watch their films on the big screen, and find out who is taking home the first, second and third-place prizes.

Find out more about the finalists event and see some of the highlights from last year.

Who has won in the past?

Each year we see a great variety of entrants and winners. From stop motion animation and cartoons, to dramas and news reports, there have been some amazingly creative films!

Watch the previous winners’ films.

We spoke to Natalie McKiernan, a teacher at Denbigh Primary School, who were a runner up in the 2017 Childnet Film Competition. She told us what a difference the prizes have made to her school

Key dates

If you have any questions you can see a full list of Film Competition FAQs or email film@Childnet.com.

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