Whatever the worry that has brought you to this page, we have help and advice for you. Whether you’re a parent, child or young person, scroll down to your section for information you can trust, places to get help and read personal stories.
Parenting in the digital age
The internet is fun and educational, but it can also sometimes be dangerous or harmful. It’s very common for young people to run into difficulties with social media or online bullying. They may see distressing imagery or become addicted to gaming. Even more worrying, criminals use social media and gaming platforms to target young people to exploit them. Young people may be encouraged to starve themselves or self-harm, engage in harmful challenges or practices, and be exposed to radicalising content. You can read more about some of these worrying trends below.
Despite all the education young people receive in schools, they can still be vulnerable and sometimes may not even be aware they are being taken advantage of. Some will be aware but still influenced by what they’re being bombarded with. A lot of the content undermines self-esteem and can contribute to poor mental health.
We’ve selected some of the most useful resources to help parents and carers stay up-to-date and informed. We’ve also included resources for young people who are worried or have got into difficult situations and don’t know what to do. The main advice from anyone working in this field is to keep the communication channels open by remaining non-judgemental, encourage your children or teenagers to share what they are seeing but don’t hesitate to get some advice if you’re worried.
- How technology has made parenting more difficult and how to navigate it
- Five tips for talking about mobile phone use with your child
- How to manage your child’s online world without clashing
- THINKUKNOW: Parental controls, ‘how to stay safe online’, ‘worried who your child might be talking to online?‘ and more. Resources for children in different age groups, as well as parents and carers. Most children will be covering this extensively at school, but these websites can reinforce those messages or help parents be up to date.
- National Online Safety also has detailed information on games and social media. eg Snapchat, TikTok, FIFA, YouTube, Instagram, Grand Theft Auto and many more. The downloadable posters make it particularly good for use in schools. There are also tips on starting up a conversation with your child.
- Safer Internet Advice for children of all ages, safety tools, parent guides to technology and lots more
- Better Together runs low-cost online workshops for families on online safety
- What parents need to know about online grooming and how to help your children stay safe
- NSPCC Information on parental controls, online pornography and what risks may be associated with games like Minecraft or streaming. You can even book an appointment with someone in an O2 store to help you set up parental controls for free
Gaming
- A quick 9-question test to check for signs of video game addiction
- National Online Safety has detailed information on games and social media. eg Snapchat, TikTok, FIFA, Youtube, Instagram, Grand Theft Auto and many more. The downloadable posters make it particularly good for use in schools. There are also tips on starting up a conversation with your child.
- Problematic gaming: how to recognise the signs and what you can do
- Gaming addiction: Worried your child is addicted to gaming?
- Advice on gaming addiction
Staying safe, having fun and what to do if things go wrong
- Staying safe online- detailed advice on staying in control, sharing, phishing, password and comments
- Social media and your mental health – top tech tips and advice, how to block and mute. and more.
- Be social media savvy: how to work out what’s real and what’s not
- ThinkUKnow Find information you can believe and what to do if you run into trouble.
- How to stay sane on social media
- Feeling good and staying in control of social media and what to do if things go wrong
- Sexting and sending nudes
- What do I need to know about online grooming?
- How can I tell if I’m addicted to gaming?
- How gaming helped my mental health (Blog on YoungMinds)
What are County lines?
What are county lines? A guide for parents, on how to spot warning signs and what to do
Support and rescue for families and young people who are being criminally exploited by county lines
What is the Manosphere?
The Manosphere is a network of communities that create, consume and distribute content online aimed at men and boys. It includes multiple groups that differ in their aims and focus, but are all largely anti-feminist.
What parents should know about the manosphere
How mysogyny influencers cater to young mens’ anxieties
Watch: Adolescence
What is Looksmaxxing?
Parents should be aware that particularly young men and boys are being targeted online by an emerging strand of hyper-superficial masculinity, which originated first in male incel forums, but has gained traction on apps like TikTok. The primary focus of this new strand is looksmaxxing – by which impressionable individuals are encouraged to ‘maximise’ their physical appearance by any means necessary, in order to increase their appeal and value to society. This often includes the promotion of an array of extreme measures, including cosmetic procedures, the taking of obscure, poorly-tested supplements and the injection of peptides. Complex, time-consuming routines and facial exercises are also stressed, such as mewing – a tongue posture technique obsessively held as a way to supposedly sculpt ones jawline. A most concerning example of how far these measures can go is bonesmashing, by which young men are instructed to repeatedly strike areas of their own face with their fists or heavy objects, on the pseudo-scientific basis that this improves definition of the cheekbone and jaw. Those who engage with and share these concepts do so in an attempt to visually outdo other men (known as mogging) and avoid being visually outdone (known as being mogged), which they suggest is the sole determining factor in attracting women.
This US article explains more and suggests ways in which parents can help.
What is Pro-ana ?
Pro-ana refers to online content that promotes eating disorders,often framed as a lifestyle or coping approach, with sites varying in support for continuing the illness, tips for weight loss, and communities offering belonging and social support to those who choose to maintain or hide their eating disorder. It is problematic because the content is often produced by people who themselves are suffering from disordered eating
Videos
1. Teenagers and pornography– young people discuss pornography, fantasy vs. reality and how it can impact them.
2. What is sexting and what do parents need to be aware of?