Judith Davis – Community Safety Officer Northumberland County Council.

 The Police and Community Safety are asked to deal with issues relating to social media almost daily.  Facebook and Snapchat are most often quoted as being at the heart of the complaints.  Complaints range from bullying by social media to allegations around the sending of indecent images/videos.  Not all complaints involve young people. Adults misuse social media too……

 The use of sites is not covered by law like the USA – guidelines are in place for some sites relating to age and behaviour in the UK.  The activity carried out on sites may be against the law however.

 Videos - music, animation, online blogs and clips from TV shows. You can create your own YouTube account, create a music playlist, and create your own channel (which means you will have a public profile) 13 yr age recommendation.  The top 3 concerns are:  Sexual content (which can be unsolicited)  Violent content (which can be unsolicited)  Having a public profile without correct privacy settings.  Why kids like it:  Its fun – cartoons, funny clips.  Its easy to access – available through any browser and most phones.  It can be educational.

 Picture and video sharing app. You can follow your friends, family and celebrities. 13 yr age limit. Requires e mail account and password.  The top 3 concerns are:  Sexual content – others posting inappropriate pictures.  Privacy settings – strangers being able to link and see your pics  Bullying  Reasons why children and young people like it:  You can share pictures and videos  Capture memories.  Keep up-to-date with friends and have group chat.

 73% of the children and young people Netaware (NSPCC) asked think Facebook can be risky. The top 3 concerns were:  Bullying.  Privacy settings (other people and apps sharing info)  Hacked accounts – and false accounts.  Why kids like it:  You can keep up to date with friends.  Organise events – community events etc.  Socialise with others far away.

 Photo and video sharing app. Age limit 13 yrs.  The top 3 concerns are:  Sexual content – either being received or sent.  Strangers accessing their images – deletion doesn’t mean deletion!  Being overconfident with the 10 second feature.  Why kids like it:  You can share pictures (that can’t be saved….except they can!)  It’s fun  You can socialise with friends.

 Voice calls, video chat and messaging (age limit 13 yrs) Video chat with up to 12 people at a time Requires internet.  Top reasons for concern:  Talking to and being contacted by strangers – depending on privacy settings (easy to set)  Fake accounts – to get people to link with you pretending to be someone else (always choose the video setting)  Bullying.  Why kids like it:  Talking to random people. (make sure privacy settings are correct)  Group chats  Its free

Cyber bullying – Also known as Harassment.  4,500 young people talked to Childline about online bullying last year many more go unreported.  Name calling, threats, lies, sharing private pictures, setting up hate sites or false accounts, excluding others from games, activities or friendship groups.  The Protection From Harassment act 1997 can be used to deal with this.  If it is done because of someone’s race, colour, disability etc, it could be called a ‘HATE CRIME,’ which is very serious.

 You don’t know what the other person will do with the pictures – they could send them to anyone. You cannot get them back.  You may think they can be deleted or may only last a few seconds on apps like Snapchat, but pictures can still be saved or copied by others.  Do not let someone push you into doing this. It is not fun and can be very harmful

 Blackmail  Bullying  Unwanted attention  Emotional distress

Both having and distributing indecent images of someone under 18 is an offence. That is because under 18 you are a child. Encouraging someone to take or send these pictures can also be illegal. Even if they are also under 18. People have been arrested for this. This is good - it means children are being protected.

 The internet can be a fun and educational place to visit –avoid making it a negative experience.  Try not to alienate your child and their social media use – be a part of it.  Have social media accessed in a common family space and know where else they access it.  Know what connects to the internet and how.  Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops.