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Ahead of Internet Safety Day next week, the Islands Safeguarding Children's Partnership is encouraging parents and carers to work with the authorities to keep young people safe online after a new study showed under 10s are being exposed to porn at an alarming rate.
The Children's Commissioner in England has this week urged the UK's government to pass a new Online Safety Bill with some MPs and peers backing calls for higher age restrictions on social media sites.
A new study for the Children's Commissioner included a 'nationally representative study of more than 1,000 16-21-year-olds'. It found that more than 38% had found pornographic material online accidentally.
Pictured: Internet safety is subject to a bill being debated by the UK government this week.
Examples were given in national news reports of children as young as eight who had put words into a search engine that then led them to explicit adult material. That boy's parents had removed apps such as YouTube and had put safety features in place but he was still exposed to the explicit adult material.
With children using online resources in their education much more often, schools offer safety advice and guidance through Personal, Social, and Health Education lessons, while assemblies and other school sessions will focus on talking about any problems or distressing events experienced online next week around Safer Internet Day.
Sue Coughlin, Chair of the Islands Safeguarding Children Partnership's Online Safety Committee, said teachers can't protect children by themselves though and parents and carers need to be having tough conversations with their charges to ensure they are safe.
"...it is important that when children access material that they find upsetting or concerning that they have trusted adults to whom they can turn to for advice and support or to have signposted routes to support," she said.
Safer Internet Day is next Tuesday, 7 February, and Ms Coughlin said "all schools will be delivering focused sessions or assemblies for the children on the theme of 'Let’s talk about it' and we will be encouraging parents to be aware of their child’s online behaviour and presence and to be having open and honest conversations with their children."
Pictured: Matthew Parker (inset) advises on local internet safety issues.
Speaking to Express earlier this week, a local internet expert said it will never be solely down to any site and app managers to ensure children don't access explicit material though.
Matthew Parker volunteers for Safe and Secure Online which provides online safety lessons for children and their parents and carers.
"Filtering on the end device, filtering on the network connection, conversations about appropriate usage and support for when things happen are all steps that should be taken to help protect our children," he said. "But is there a silver bullet?
"I am yet to be convinced that holding these digital firms more accountable will resolve these issues, there is always a way around controls.
"Parents and carers need to do their homework, engage with their children, and have age-appropriate conversations about content, relationships and what to do if they stumble across something, or indeed get something sent directly to them.
"As uncomfortable as this might be, it is very much required."
Pictured: Parents and carers can't just rely on the website or app providers to keep children safe, warns Matthew Parker, and online safety expert.
Ms Coughlin said current trends, and national developments - including the progress of the Children's Commissioners Online Safety Bill - are communicated with local authorities and the information is then disseminated among teachers and youth workers.
"The ISCP Online safety committee work in close conjunction with South West Grid for Learning (SWGFL) to receive updates on current trends and provide advice when situations occur. This information is disseminated down to Headteachers, principals and school child protection lead officers to maintain a current and accurate picture of national trends.
"All school staff have access to online safety training through SWGFL and School leaders also undertake a yearly annual review of their schools procedures, policies and responses to online safety supported by the lead advisor for ICT. Schools also offer sessions for parents and carers to help them keep up to date with such issues in addition to the curriculum components aimed at pupils. These are advertised through schools but parents are encouraged to contact their child's school if they'd like to learn more."
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