Protecting against online harms is a responsibility for us all
Whilst it may be difficult to think about - the threat of online harm is real
As a parent, despite also being a digital wellbeing expert, I find it very difficult to think about some of the most appalling online harms. My work focuses on building positive digital habits, on screentime management and reclaiming control in our everyday interactions with tech. I focus on finding digital balance for children, which has important implications for mental health, relationships and child development.
But over the past few months, as all of us have started to spend more time online, criminals too have increased their activity on the web. This has led to significant increases in the dissemination and demand for inappropriate content, including imagery of child abuse, file-sharing abuse and the rise of online grooming of children for sexual or criminal purposes. Adults too have seen increased risk from cybercrime, particularly the elderly being targeted with scams, phishing or fraud. Whilst these online risks may seem distant, or too gruesome to think about, the reality is, none of us are immune, and we have a responsibility as parents to keep our families safe.
The statistics are hard to ignore. In the UK, between March and April 2020, the BBC found that reports of obscene material online doubled to more than four million reports in a month. Here, 300,000 people are considered a threat to children, and yet there were nearly 8.8 million attempts in April to access child sexual abuse websites which had been previously blocked by the Internet Watch Foundation.
The UK is not alone. A recent submission by 5RightsFoundation to the UK government’s enquiry into online harms during COVID states how:
The US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 4.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in April, an increase of nearly 3 million from the same month in 2019
InHope, a network of 47 national ‘cybertiplines’, state that reports of child sexual exploitation are up 30% globally during the pandemic
Against this backdrop, reduced staff numbers mean that tech companies and law enforcement bodies are struggling to keep up. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reported that the amount of child sexual abuse material removed from the internet after being flagged fell by 89% over a four-week period during early lockdown.
As well as obscene content online, grooming and bullying is on the rise. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner reported a 50% increase in incidents of cyberbullying during the first three weeks of lockdown, whilst, analysis of digital toxicity by AI start-up L1ght reported a 70% increase in hateful and abusive language among children and teens in March 2020. Meanwhile, as children spend more of their time stuck at home online, they are a captive audience for predators seeking to groom children for sexual or criminal purposes. Cut off from the safety net of school, where concerns can be more easily shared with teachers and friends, it may be harder for a child to come forward with any concerns about interactions with bad actors online, which are often debilitating to confidence and sense of self-worth. This brief investigation provides some insight into what it might feel like for a child to be groomed (caution, content may be upsetting).
Adults are not immune, with scams and fraud increasing significantly over the past few months. Common cybercrime techniques, such as phishing, when passwords or credit card details are extracted from personal information, have seen a spike. Data from Google, analysed by Atlas VPN, saw a 350% increase in active phishing websites between January and March 2020. We have also seen an increase in the prevalence of fake news and disinformation, notably widespread social media coverage alleging a link between Covid-19 and the 5G cellular network.
Ofcom’s recent #teenstalktech research highlighted just how widespread harmful content is. Amongst the teenagers they spoke with seeing upsetting content was commonplace. Whilst teenagers do know where to turn for help (e.g. support lines) they often won’t because they don’t think their experience is bad enough - so they are left with uneasy feelings. Being contacted by strangers or ‘paedos’ happens ‘all the time’. They may joke about these interactions with their friends, or even play along if they find it amusing before blocking them. Whilst this may seem like one solution, it is unlikely to work for some children who don’t have the social networks to ‘laugh it off’, nor does this work under lockdown, when the usual light-hearted interactions of the playground are out of reach.
What can I do to help protect my child?
Whilst these statistics and stories can feel overwhelming, there are steps that parents can take to significantly improve their families safety online and to protect their children from online exploitation.
Firstly, have a conversation with your child about the real risks of being online, including grooming, viewing harmful content or the theft of personal data. Many young people may feel immune to these risks, but the reality is, we are all vulnerable online.
Look out for signs that your child may be being exploited online. The children’s society recommends looking out for some of the following signs which may indicate that your child needs help:
Talking about older/new friends they’ve met online;
Talking about gifts/money they’ve received online;
Becoming withdrawn and secretive;
Having a new phone or more than one phone;
Receiving a large number of calls or messages;
Worried about being away from their phone.
Understand the apps and games your child is using. Remember many games often have messaging functions, where your children can be contacted by strangers. Work with them to set appropriate privacy settings. Encourage them to keep location settings turned off.
Use parental controls to stay in touch with your children’s online activity. Use insights to encourage conversation as a family and to build healthy habits.
Keep your family safe from scams by: keeping on top of your privacy settings, using varied and strong passwords, be wary of unsolicited emails and update your devices security software.
For further resources on this important topic:
See the UK Government Online Safety summary for staying safe online during COVID
Anonymously and confidentially report Child sexual abuse content to the Internet Watch Foundation
Find out more by Thinkuknow by National Crime Agency-CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection)
Remember, if you’re worried that a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm, you should call the police.
As parents we work hard from the first moment we know our child to keep them safe in the world. Whilst the online world may at times feel like a daunting and unknown space, we can work together to make the internet safer for everyone.