Online Harms

What online harms might my child experience online?

Parents/carers may have concerns about specific harms which children can experience online.

There are more resources to help you understand and protect your child from different harms online, including:

  • child sexual abuse – a definition
  • exposure to radicalising content
  • youth-produced sexual imagery (‘sexting’)
  • cyberbullying
  • exposure to age-inappropriate content, such as pornography
  • exposure to harmful content, such as suicide content

Please contact Mrs Becconsall, Safeguarding and Welfare Officer, for support, information, advice and guidance on any safeguarding issue, including online safety matters.

Child sexual abuse

If your child has been a victim of child sexual abuse – online or offline – and you believe they are in immediate danger, you should call 999 and ask for the police.

If you are concerned that your child has been a victim of online sexual abuse or you are worried about the way someone has been communicating with your child online, you can report it to NCA-CEOP.

The following resources provide information and support for parents and carers on what to do if you’re worried about child sexual abuse:

  • you can contact the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000) for support and advice if you have concerns about your own or another child’s safety. The Together, we can tackle child abuse campaign also provides information on the signs of child abuse and neglect
  • Thinkuknow by NCA-CEOP has developed activities to support your child’s safe use of the internet and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s Parents Protect website also provides advice on how to help protect children from child sexual abuse
  • if you see sexual images or videos of someone under 18 online, report it anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation who can work to remove them from the web and help to identify victims and survivors
  • you can contact Stop It Now! for information and advice if you have concerns about someone’s behaviour, including children who may be displaying concerning sexual behaviour
  • you can contact The Marie Collins Foundation [email protected] for support, including advice and individual counselling, for your child if they have been subjected to online sexual abuse – support is also offered to parents and carers

Radicalising content

If you are concerned that any family member, friend or loved one is being radicalised, you can call the police or 101 to get advice or make a Prevent referral, so that they can get safeguarding support.

Support is tailored to the individual’s needs and works in a similar way to safeguarding processes designed to protect people from gangs, drug abuse and physical and sexual exploitation.

Receiving support through Prevent is voluntary, confidential and not any form of criminal sanction. If you need further help, you can also contact our Safeguarding Team at St Anne’s or your local authority safeguarding team.

‘Sexting’ (youth-produced sexual imagery)

If you are worried about your child sending nude images or videos (sometimes referred to as ‘youth-produced sexual imagery’ or sexting), NSPCC provides advice to help you understand the risks and support your child.

If your child has shared nude images, Thinkuknow by NCA-CEOP provides advice on talking to your child and where to get help.

You can also contact Mrs Becconsall, Safeguarding and Welfare Officer at St Anne’s for more support, information, advice or guidance.

Cyberbullying

If you are concerned about cyberbullying, you can find government advice and information about how you can protect your child and tackle it if it happens.

Please speak to your child’s Pastoral Year Leader for more information on what we can do in school to support your child if they are the victim of cyberbullying.

Age-inappropriate content and parental controls

If you have downloaded new apps or bought new technology to help stay connected, remember to review and adjust privacy and safety settings if you or your child is signing up to a new online service.

  • Internet Matters has provided step-by-step guides on how to set up parental controls so that you can control what content your child can access online.
  • The UK Safer Internet Centre has developed guidance on how to switch on family-friendly filters to prevent age-inappropriate content being accessed on devices in your home.
  • The NSPCC provides more information for parents or carers with concerns about their child seeking inappropriate or explicit content online.

Apps to help children stay safe online

The BBC have a website and app called Own It. The website has a lot of content for children to help them navigate their online lives, and the free smartphone app comes with a special keyboard which can intervene with help and support in the moments that children need it the most. It can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

SafeToNet is an app for parents to help them safeguard their children from online risks like cyberbullying and sexting, whilst respecting their child’s rights to privacy.

Suicide content

If you are worried about your child’s mental health, the government has published guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

If you are worried that someone you know is suicidal, including your child, Samaritans provides advice on how you can support others.

Support for children

If your child is worried or needs support, they can receive advice and support from Childline (0800 1111) or download the ‘For Me’ app.

Please contact Mrs Becconsall, Safeguarding and Welfare Officer, for support, information, advice and guidance on any safeguarding issue, including online safety matters.

Source: GOV.UK

St Anne's Church of England Academy is proud to be part of the Cranmer Education Trust

Cranmer Education Trust is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity registered in England. Company registration number: 07687709. Registered Office: Cranmer Education Trust, c/o The Blue Coat School, Egerton Street, Oldham OL1 3SQ. The website address is www.cranmereducationtrust.com and the phone number 0161 785 5082.