E-safety: Are your children safe online?

Are children safe online?

Transcript

00:00Back in May, the House of Commons discussed the impact of social media and smartphones

00:05on children.

00:06But, Mr Chairman, this is not a horror movie. This is not some imaginary Wild West. This

00:11is the digital world that our children occupy, often for hours a day.

00:16Mr Chairman, our kids are not okay. Since 2012, suicide rates for teenage boys in the

00:22UK have doubled. They have trebled for girls. Incidences of self-harm for 10 to 12-year-old

00:28girls have increased by 364%. Anxiety rates for the under 25s have trebled. Feelings of

00:35hopelessness, worthlessness, loneliness and despair are growing amongst our youngest citizens.

00:43When it comes to your child's online safety, the NSPCC recommends to talk regularly to

00:48your child to keep them safe online. They suggest having age-appropriate conversations

00:52and making a part of a relaxed daily conversation so that if they do have any worries, they're

00:57more likely to come to you.