Online safety for children and young people

For most people the internet is an integral part of life and has many benefits, such as improving cognitive abilities, especially logical problem solving, and increasing knowledge and verbal skills.

• Half of ten-year olds now own their own smartphone (Ofcom 2019)
• 70% of 12-15-year olds now have a social media profile, with Snapchat being the most prominent platform in this age group (Ofcom 2019)
• Children aged 5-15 now spend over 14 hours a week online, just over two hours a day (Ofcom 2019)

However, use of the internet can present some challenging issues, especially for children and young people, including: cyberbullying, the pressure to take part in sexting, encouragement to self-harm, and viewing pornography.

Further resources for online safety

Family Information Service Reading offers a wealth of online safety resources.

Brighter Futures for Children offers advice and guidance on child exploitation.