On-line technology has changed the way children/young people live their lives in many positive ways. However it has also brought with it safety issues that require knowledge and awareness among those responsible for their welfare.
Abuse of children now takes place in an ICT environment:
- The internet is used for the distribution of indecent photographs/recordings of children
- Children may access inappropriate adult materials
- Chat rooms etc are used to contact children with a view to grooming them for sexual abuse which may include requests to make/transmit pornographic images of themselves or to perform sex acts live in front of a webcam. Contact is then maintained through e-mail and mobile phones.
Recognising the potential threats to children/young people on the internet is the first step to protecting them. Parents and carers need to provide guidance on the safe use of technology and to monitor children’s usage.
Children can also use technology to bully other children through texts and distribution of recordings of assaults. Guidance in dealing with bullying should be followed for cyber bullying as for all other forms of bullying.
When adults are found in possession of sexual image materials involving children, consideration must be given to the possibility that they are directly involved in child abuse. Their access to children at home, in employment and in other settings must be established and if there are particular concerns about one or more specific children a referral must be made to Children’s Social Care in respect of these children.
Ref:
Working Together 2010 Chapter 11 Para 11.93 – 11.97
GOOD PRACTICE GUIDANCE:-
The following is recommended to promote the safe use of the Internet:
- Location: The computer with internet connection should be kept in the kitchen area, family room, or other areas where the child/young person is ‘independent’ but not alone.
- Control: filtering software should be installed, a comprehensive list is available on www.getnetwise.org. It is essential to install Anti-virus software and to subscribe to regular upgrades as this will help minimise the risks from viruses and hackers. Parental control software can be used to:
- control content
- control contacts
- control shopping and privacy
- improve general security
- monitor and record activity, including who the child/young person sends emails to and blocking access to all or some chat-rooms.
- Checks: the child/young person should be asked on a regular basis to show the places they go to on the internet and parents/carers should be familiar with patterns of use and time spent online. This will help detect any changes in behaviour that may be of concern.
- Monitor on-line relationships; parents/carers should find out whom children are sending emails to and who they are receiving them from, and should know if they visit chat-rooms or subscribe to news groups and what they do when they visit these places.
- Educate the child about the possibility of them seeing or being sent sexually explicit or other worrying material, and what to do if this happens, Children need to know that unless and until they are absolutely certain of the identity of someone they are communicating with, they should proceed with caution and not necessarily accept everything a person says online at face value. For more information contact Internet Content Rating Association http://www.icra.org/
- Keep informed; children may be exposed to risks because adults looking after them are unaware of the dangers they are confronted with. DCSF sponsor a site to help parents keep up with internet safety issues: http://www.parentsonline.gov.uk/safety/index.html
