One of the more heartwarming, life-affirming aspects of social media is being able to share special moments in our children’s lives with family and friends: from the first day at school or blowing out birthday cake candles to smiling holiday selfies and cute Halloween costumes. Is there, however, such a thing as too much sharing – and can it actually put children in danger? 

With potential risks such as accidentally displaying identifying details (images showing where a child lives or what school they go to, for example) and photos being seen and saved by strangers, perhaps we need to take a little more caution over what we post and where we post it. They guide runs through some safety considerations when sharing images.

Social media has been in the headlines a lot recently - with very good reason. When social media is used by young people, it can have a very negative impact. This is one of the biggest areas of digital concern in schools across the country, and it can only be stopped by parents limiting/supporting their children's use of it. Most social media sites have an age restriction of 13+, but many experts believe this is too young to understand the problems associated with digital forms of social communication.

WhatsApp is the most widely used social messaging platform on the planet, with over two billion users (forecast to become three billion by 2025), across more than 180 countries. The majority of those people (70%) open the app at least once a day – but what exactly are they seeing? Contact from strangers, fake news and convincing scams are all among the service’s well-documented hazards.

 According to Ofcom, WhatsApp is used by more than half of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK (including one in three from the 8–11 bracket), despite its 13+ age restriction. If your child hops onto WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends or family, the guide this week contains the key details you’ll need to support them in doing it safely.

On 19th April 2024, Ofcom released its annual Media Use and Attitudes Report, detailing the findings of several surveys and their implications for parents, children and young people in the UK. These statistics often include plenty of thought-provoking information relating to online safety.

The report itself is extremely extensive, so instead we've provided a bespoke selection of data gathered by Ofcom about children and young people’s experiences on social media, video games and the like. Check the guide for a thorough breakdown of the headline findings.

If you would like to talk about any of the findings, please come in and chat.