Youngsters Warned About Online Dangers
It's part of a week-long initiative by Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and Humber NHS Foundation Trust.
A campaign to help ensure young people are safe when they go online launches in Hull today.
All this week Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and Humber NHS Foundation Trust will be raising awareness of the issues surrounding internet safety.
They'll be using social media to provide young people with information on online safety while also highlighting the possible effects of playing unsuitable age related video games.
It's part of the Head Start project which was set up last year and helps children deal with the problems of modern day life.
17-year-old Tom Shearsmith from Hull is involved in the scheme. He told Viking FM:
"We're trying to put it across through social media to explain to young people about how they can protect themselves. We want them to know how to spot if something in a situation isn't right and what they should do about it to help themselves and others.
"The main worry for adults and children is that they're going to meet someone online who isn't going to be thinking of the same thing that the young person is and who could interpret the situation differently. We're just aiming to ensure that they can spot these signs and don't follow through with something that could end in a bad situation.
"Friends have experienced issues like this because social media is so open, people can talk to whoever they like and through that it can lead to further dangers. I'd say the majority of us, myself included, are naive about social media.
"Social media is a great thing that we should all embrace when we are the right age to do so but we've also got to protect ourselves and protect others and make sure we stop any situation that we feel is getting out of hand."
Julia Mizon, Co-Chair of Hull Children's and Families Board and NHS Hull CCG Director of Commissioning and Partnerships said:
"NHS Hull CCG's ambition extends beyond commissioning health care for children and young people in Hull; we want to communicate with children and young people effectively and enable them to be confident and happy in every aspect of their lives.”
“#HeadStartHull week provides the city’s young people with information they may need on a platform they use. Social media forms a large part of their ‘world’ and we want this advice to be embedded as part of it. We also want parents and carers to know where they can get advice if they are worried about a young person’s online activity or video game use.”