Norfolk counsellor says parents and children must take all steps to lower chances of abuse online
Over half of children in the East believe social media companies need stronger regulations, according to a national charity
A counsellor in South Norfolk is telling us it's vital young people and parents take all the steps necessary to lower chances of them being bullied online.
It's as data from a national charity shows over half of children in the East believe social media companies need stronger regulations, to ensure young people are kept safer online.
"It's constantly bringing things back to you"
Ruth Noble works in Diss:
"Everyone is so much more visible now than they were around 30/40 years ago. When people were growing up back then and making their own mistakes, they were doing it in their own small town and there weren't so many cameras around.
"Back then social media and the internet didn't have the power that it has today.
"Not only are we more visible but we're more vulnerable. Now with social media being on our phones, just because we have gone home, it doesn't mean that people can't contact us.
"Also Facebook, for example, can throw you a photo from 15 year ago. Sometimes they can be lovely but it's constantly bringing things back to you.
"So before we used to live our lives forward, but now there's reminders of a haircut we wouldn't have now or a mistake we made, which means it's harder to move on from somethings as there's always a record."
"It doesn't mean it's true or the only opinion that's around"
She has this advice for those facing 'cyber-bullying':
"Don't accept friend requests or connection requests from people that you actually don't want to be connected to. You're allowed to say, I don't want you to have access to me outside of school.
"Just because somebody is telling you something on the internet, it doesn't mean it's true or the only opinion that's around about me. We also don't have to pay any attention to it."
National charity, UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) also found:
- Almost three quarters (73%) of parents and carers, and just under half (43%) of children have worries about safety as developments with artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and new social media apps continue to accelerate
- While 65% of young people who have used generative AI (genAI) say they are excited about its potential to improve their lives and lives of their friends, over a third (37%) of children who have used genAI have seen their peers use it in a negative way
-73% of children and young people think that young people should be listened to more about changes in technology, such as how it can remain safe
-This Safer Internet Day, UKSIC want to empower young people to lead valuable conversations with parents, carers and teachers on how we can all work together to stay safe amidst such a fast-moving, and often unknown, technological environment
"The perfect opportunity to start listening"
UKSIC Director, Will Gardner OBE, said:
“Our research shows the excitement many young people feel over the changing online landscape and emerging technologies. However it also shows the concerns young people have around safety and the need they see for more support; views shared by their parents and carers.
"On Safer Internet Day we see thousands of organisations across the UK working to make a difference, using this moment as an opportunity to take practical steps and to talk about keeping safe online and making vital conversations happen at home, at school and beyond.
"Young people are living their lives engaging with rapidly evolving online technology, and Safer Internet Day is the perfect opportunity to start listening to what they have to say and learning from their experiences and ideas."
What's the Government doing to help?
The Government says the 'Online Safety Act' - passed in September - makes sure social media platforms are held responsible for the content they host.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:
The Online Safety Bill is a game-changing piece of legislation. This government is taking an enormous step forward in our mission to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.
"I am immensely proud of what we have achieved with this bill. Our common-sense approach will deliver a better future for British people, by making sure that what is illegal offline is illegal online. It puts protecting children first, enabling us to catch keyboard criminals and crack down on the heinous crimes they seek to commit.
"I am deeply thankful to the tireless campaigning and efforts of parliamentarians, survivors of abuse and charities who have all worked relentlessly to get this bill to the finish line."