'Red flag' signs your child may be in danger online that parents can often miss
15.08.2023 - 21:19
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
No matter how close an eye you keep on your child, the online world can be a dangerous place and it's hard to know that you're keeping them safe.
And experts say that there are a number of warning signs your child could be in danger, so parents should be fully aware of how to spot these in youngsters.
The Online Safety Bill, aimed at improving safety, is meant to become law this autumn. However, it's faced many delays and changes since it become a proposed legislation.
As a result, the children’s charity NSPCC has called on MPs and tech giants to support the Bill, especially since 34,000 online grooming crimes had been recorded by UK police forces over the last six years, since first calling for more robust safety regulations in 2017.
Based on data from 42 UK police forces, the NSPCC said that last year, 6,350 offences related to the sexual communication with a child were recorded. Some 5,500 took place against primary school-aged children, and 73% of the crimes were related to Meta-linked platforms or Snapchat.
NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said: “The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed.
“We’re pleased the government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.”
Here are some of the red flags parents should be on the look out for.
Being secretive about how they are spending their time
On their website, Childline define grooming as someone building a child’s trust to make a connection in order to do something sexual or illegal.
“Studies show