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.

Long gone are the days when eBay and Amazon were the only means of buying quality items online. The rise of user-friendly, accessible shopping apps has meant that getting clothes, gadgets and other goodies delivered directly to your door can be accomplished with a few touches of your phone’s screen while you’re on the go.

These apps aren’t without their issues, however, and users still run the risk of scams, data breaches and other online safety concerns. Being aware of these dangers will go a long way to keeping your money and information safe, so you can still enjoy what these shopping apps have to offer. The guide has some top tips to help protect young people on these purchasing platforms.

While scrolling online, you’ll almost inevitably have come across posts or links with headlines like “You Won’t Believe These 10 Crazy Facts about …”. Such lurid language – and the often-dubious nature of the content it promotes – has become something of a running joke on the internet. Yet while these articles are often laughed at by communities online, they can have an insidious side.

Clickbait, as it’s known, can frequently function as part of a trap: intended to draw users in for the sake of advertising revenue or, in worse cases, masking an attempting to collect their personal information. This guide explores the various risks of clickbait and offers some top tips for evading the pitfalls of this controversial marketing technique.