Safer Internet Day could arguably never be more important. Parents have been grappling with balancing relief and gratitude with conferencing apps and tablets in general with whether/how to manage Among Us, Tik Tok and Roblox. With the impact of extended screen-time on mental health and sleep. With how to balance the benefits of increased connectivity with the known risks. With where in the house to have the devices if everyone has to be on them at the same time. With headphones on or off.
For all the gratitude for tech right now, in the background the figures around online harms are increasingly stark. Last year saw a 77% rise in the amount of child generated online sexual abuse material in the UK. And another significant year on year rise in the amount of child sexual abuse material available online. The demand for live streamed child abuse online rose exponentially. Fewer moderators working pushed the amount of indecent content on platforms up. With schools shut for two extended periods there have been far fewer opportunities to reach the children who we know have had negative experiences online in the past 12 months, and to support them.
Thankfully, if we know how to protect children from these risks, we can ensure that they have the most positive online experiences possible, building digital resilience and safe online relationships. To support parents this year we will be hosting another Online Safety Facebook Live on 24th February 2021, from 7 – 8 pm. We are delighted the panel will be Annabel Turner, Cybersafe Scotland, Dr Kandarp Joshi, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Hannah Bennett, ACC and DS Lesley Clarke, Police Scotland.
If you have any questions you would like the panel to answer please DM them to us through the facebook page or the Cybersafe Scotland website. Or you can ask questions in the chat on the night or just sit back and listen with a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. We hope you will be able to join us.