This year’s theme is ‘Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online.’ It aims to help children learn how to spot and avoid scams.
Scams can affect anyone, including young people. Even if you think your child can recognise a scam, they can be very convincing and hard to detect.
Scammers often use fake profiles to trick people, a tactic known as ‘catfishing.’ If your child falls victim to an online scam and feels pressured to do something they didn’t want to, they are not at fault, and support is available.
Here are some useful resources: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/access-to-technology-for-different-ages/ offers advice for parents of children under 10, pre-teens, and teens. The NSPCC recommends that once your child has a phone, you should contact the service provider to ensure it is registered as a child’s device, which allows for additional safety measures.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/ provides more tips for supporting young people, including interactive quizzes from the UK Safer Internet Centre.
https://better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/learning-corner/parents-and-caregivers/marketing-games
Educating children and young people about online safety is key to preventing harm. By discussing these issues at school and home, we can help keep children safe online. Safer Internet Day is a great time to reinforce these important messages.