Joanna Conrad’s Post

School might be out for the summer – but looking out for young people never stops. And with children spending more of their time online over the holidays, it’s really important we all help make sure it’s a safe place for them to be creative, expressive, and have fun. And that means being able to recognise when something might not be quite right. Online exploitation can be really hard to spot, but there are some key things that might mean you need to chat to a teenager about their online activity, including:   If they’re talking about gifts or money they’ve received online If they become withdrawn and secretive about online activity  If they’re really worried about being away from their phone. The truth is that we can’t always control what young people encounter online – but being aware of these changes in behaviour is a really good way to know when a child might need some extra help. Why not take 2 minutes to find out all the risks and warning signs and how to keep young people safe this summer? The Children's Society

Teachers play a critical role in educating pupils about child abuse image crimes and helping prevent such incidents. Here are some ways teachers can help educate their students: 1. Raise awareness: Provide age-appropriate information to students about child abuse image crimes, including what constitutes inappropriate behaviour and the importance of consent. 2. Create a safe environment: Foster a safe and supportive classroom environment where students feel comfortable discussing sensitive topics and reporting any concerns they may have. 3. Teach digital literacy: Educate students about the risks of online activities, including sharing personal information or images, and teach them how to protect themselves online. 4. Encourage open communication: Encourage students to speak up if they feel uncomfortable or witness any concerning behaviour, and be ready to listen and provide support. 5. Collaborate with parents/guardians: Work together with parents/guardians to reinforce the importance of online safety and raise awareness about child abuse image crimes. 6. Provide resources: Share resources and contact information for organisations that support victims of child abuse image crimes, as well as helplines for students who may need help or advice. By taking these proactive steps, teachers can help empower their students to recognise and respond to child abuse image crimes, ultimately creating a safer learning environment for all. #Safeguarding #Safeguard #AbuseAwareness

Specialists from the NCA’s CEOP Education team have today issued an alert to hundreds of thousands of education professionals in relation to the explosion of sextortion cases. ⭐️ It offers advice about spotting the signs of this type of abuse, supporting young people and encouraging them to seek help. 🚨 Sextortion is blackmail where criminals threaten to release nude or semi-nude photos of someone – either real or fake – unless the victim pays them. 🚨 Teenage boys are being deliberately targeted by criminals in these types of crimes, as they appear in 91% of the reports. Sixty percent of the reports involved 16 and 17-year-olds. ⭐️ Adults can support young people in getting their images removed using Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation’s Report Remove tool. ⭐️ For more information, support and guidance you can read the article from the NCA - https://lnkd.in/ehd93tmX

Have you heard about cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is the use of digital technologies to intentionally and repeatedly harm or harass someone. It can occur through social media, texting, email, online gaming, and other digital platforms. Cyberbullying is persistent, making it hard for victims to find relief, and it can have permanent consequences on an individual’s online reputation. It’s particularly concerning because it’s difficult for parents and teachers to notice and intervene. Victims of cyberbullying are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide. While there are no federal laws specifically against cyberbullying in the U.S., all states have policies to protect children, and schools are required to respond to bullying incidents.

At what point do you change, and why? I was with a Head Teacher contact this morning discussing a future, schools presentation on 'knife crime'. One of the aspects we talked about was the reluctance of particularly young people to engage with the Criminal Justice System, with the observation that primary school children will pretty much always report something negative that has happened, to an adult (parent, teacher, other parent), but there comes a time when to do so makes them think they will be labelled a 'grass' ( not my first choice of term but it's what a lot of people use). We both agreed that by the time most kids start secondary education, that change has taken place, and the youngsters have adopted an almost 'us and them' mentality with any type of authority. Not in everyone, and not everywhere, but certainly in some places more than others. I'm trying to better understand the reasons why youngsters carry knives, and why it's so prevalent, particularly in a section of the population more vulnerable than most to either being drawn into offending or becoming a victim. That's why I'm looking to my LinkedIn contacts for help in answering that question at the top of the post. At what point do you change, and why? #schoolsafety #schoolsecurity #knifecrime

In the 2021–22 school year, approximately 19% of students ages 12–18 enrolled in grades 6–12 reported being bullied during school, including 17% of males and 22% of females. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ea_xqtag #SchoolSafety [Image description: An isolated student looks out the window of an empty classroom. To the right is a blue overlay with the text “Recently released.” Below the image is the Institute of Education Sciences logo and the title “Student Reports of Bullying: Results from the 2022 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.” Spanning the top and bottom of the image are two narrow black bars. The bar at the top includes the text “National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).” The bar at the bottom includes “National Center for Education Statistics” to the left and “nces.ed.gov” to the right.]

🫣Shocking to hear? This is exactly what we’re talking about, work to prevent, and have been for years! This stat doesn’t mean children are at fault, and we certainly will NEVER name a child a “perpetrator”. This is the lack of safety for children online, apps not being liable for their uses, the premature use & increasing access to devices, lack of relevant education, lack of knowledge of the related law and understanding of consequences, as well the influence from perpetrators, groomers, online media & peers, (🤯 so much!) Legally no one under the age of 18 can consent to sending an indecent / sexual / nude image. It’s not ‘Sexting’ when they are by law a ‘child’, it is a crime and sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery. Sadly, the rates of primary school children affected has risen significantly. This is reflected in our increasing contact with primary school teachers. (If helpful, we provide staff training as well lessons to pupils age-appropriately. Logos can be changed so we don’t use the word ‘Sex’ for younger years). We need to keep educating children about the risks of sharing images and communicating online. Any support with this in your setting, please get in touch. ✌🏼 The Sex, Lies & Love Project #CSAM #IWF #internetwatchfoundation #keepingyourchildsafe #childabuse #onlinesafety #imagesharing #sexting #rse #pshe #safeguardingchildren

On the heels of the Province of BC’s new legislation regarding the sharing of intimate images, the Intimate Images Protection Act, they have launched a number of concrete actions to help kids safe, including being able to make a claim to have images removed. https://lnkd.in/d658gwd7 Jen Graham, Program Director of PLEA‘s Children of the Street program commented “as a program that spends most of its time in BC’s schools, we know that the sharing of intimate images is currently the #1 cause for concern for both students and school staff, when it comes sexual exploitation. It can cause tremendous pain, distress, and harm. No one should be subjected to this abuse. The new reporting tool provides BC residents with an effective way to remove intimate images from the internet quickly, while also empowering them to seek justice. The Office of the Attorney General has gone to great lengths to ensure the process is accessible and safe for victims, and we commend their efforts in doing so. This is a big step in ensuring individuals are able to take action if their image has been shared, and as importantly, towards holding those who share intimate images without consent accountable.” For information on how to make a claim and other supports and resources, visit the Civil Resolutions BC website: https://lnkd.in/dDYn4xz9 #GovernmentofBC #NikkiSharma #solicitorgeneral #childrenofthestreet #keepourkidssafe #StopTheShare #onlineawareness #OnlineSafety #intimateimagesprotectionact #DigitalSafety #CyberSafety #DigitalWellbeing #SafeCommunities

During the 2021–22 school year, among students ages 12–18 enrolled in grades 6–12, about 26% of middle school students and 16% of high school students reported being bullied. Read more recently released #SchoolSafety data on bullying: https://lnkd.in/ea_xqtag [Image description: An isolated student looks out the window of an empty classroom. To the right is a blue overlay with the text “Recently released.” Below the image is the Institute of Education Sciences logo and the title “Student Reports of Bullying: Results from the 2022 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.” Spanning the top and bottom of the image are two narrow black bars. The bar at the top includes the text “National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).” The bar at the bottom includes “National Center for Education Statistics” to the left and “nces.ed.gov” to the right.]

📊  Verifymy's latest research, featured in the Sunday Express, reveals the urgent need for better online safety measures for children: • 74% of parents report their children experiencing online harms • 16% of children have been approached by strangers online • 40% of parents believe current protective measures are insufficient These statistics are more than just numbers – they represent real children at risk. As Verifymy COO, Andy Lulham says in the piece, the level of harmful and illegal content online today is unacceptable, and we need to see rapid action from online platforms to drive positive change. Check out the full article to understand the scope of the challenge and the change we're working to drive in the industry. https://lnkd.in/e7TVdt58 #OnlineSafety #HarmfulContent #SaferInternet