NSPCC Scotland and Scottish Youth Parliament launch partnership to make children safer online

NSPCC Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament have launched a new partnership aimed at increasing online safety for children.   

It includes new tools aimed at helping children and young people to better understand the risks online, such as artificial intelligence, online bullying, and misinformation.   

Developed by a group of young people, including members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, the resources include a set of videos, posters, and an educational session plan to support children and young people and professionals who work with them.  

The project leads, known as digital safety ambassadors, held workshops with groups of young people from regions across Scotland over the past 12 months to explore their online experiences and the challenges they face in staying safe.  

Issues of social media and body image, grooming and talking with strangers, hate speech, scams, and personal information were also discussed.   

The digital safety ambassadors also worked with the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth, a group of 14 young people aged 13-17 from across the UK, and youth engagement groups in Northern Ireland and Wales to identify common issues across the devolved nations.  

Joanna Barrett, NSPCC associate head of policy for the nations, said: “Children have a right to be safe online and to have their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them.   

“This project has provided an opportunity for the young people to make their views and insights on tackling online harms and improving digital safety heard by decision-makers and those with responsibility for child safety online.  

“We hope this will empower decision-makers to shape policy and practice that reflects the realities facing young people online.”  

Catriona, MSYP for Falkirk East, said: “Young people are online so much and social media is such a core part of our lives, so it’s an important topic to target.  

“Young people should be safe online, but this isn’t the case. The online world and social media can be a great thing, and I don’t think we should stop young people from using it, but more needs to be done by tech companies and politicians to make sure children don’t see inappropriate content.   

“I hope this project can make people more aware of the issues that children face online, and they are vulnerable to harm.”