Our has found that children in Scotland feel professionals are unsure how to respond to online harm.
That’s why we’ve been working closely with young people across Scotland to understand their concerns about online harm and how professionals can best support them.
When a child courageously speaks up about being harmed online, they need to be met with understanding and compassion. The young people we worked with told us that they didn’t always feel that they had been heard and supported by teachers.
‘Extremely dangerous’ contact
Police Scotland recently shared that it is now easier than ever for paedophiles to make “extremely dangerous” contact with children online within 30 seconds.
This is shocking but not surprising. In a recent survey we commissioned, young people told us that online harm is the number one threat they face.
The level of fear and anxiety children feel about the dangers of being online and the impact on their mental health is appalling.
Many young people tell us they are scared that adults often have direct access to them online and that they have no idea if they are who they say they are. They say they don’t expect to be safe online.
We need to listen and involve them in tackling the problem.
How teachers can better support pupils
Children told us they want teachers to understand how online harm has an impact on children’s mental health and to understand the online world so they can act to keep them safe.
They said more education is needed about keeping safe online from a younger age to ensure children fully understand the risks. They also want to see more support for teachers, especially during teacher training, so that they have the skills and knowledge to educate pupils on this.
Young people said in-person dangers were frequently discussed at school, but that the daily risks they face online were rarely covered, if at all. They also stressed the need for lessons on online safety to keep pace with the ever-changing online world.
After experiencing online harm, all the young people said feeling heard was important. Young people reflected that they did not always feel like they had been heard by some adults, including teachers.
They emphasised they wanted their concerns to be “taken seriously” and to “feel cared for, respected and supported”.
Working together
We worked with Erin and Jamie-Leigh, two young people who have been personally affected by online harm, to create a new animation. It is designed to help teachers in Scotland understand how best to respond to children who have been harmed online.
This is one of a that, along with our wider research, is being shared across the world to inform international practice.
In the animation, they say: “When we report an issue, please take it seriously and respond to it in a timely manner.”
We hope teachers will listen to children’s call and will share our animations far and wide.
We know online harm is a fast-moving problem. We’d love to work together with teachers to help protect children and prevent online harm.
Get in touch via our support line on 08000 28 22 33 or our . And if your school is working with a family that is struggling with online harm or any aspect of bringing up children, they can call us for free, practical, emotional and financial support.
Mary Glasgow is chief executive of Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity
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