Today is Safer Internet Day and we all know the internet is a dangerous place, like the Wild West. It was meant to be a good thing. Unfortunately, the people who use it are not always good – in fact, they often mean to do real harm.
On the BBC iPlayer at present is a documentary called Killed by the Internet, which I watched just before writing this article. It is the story of a teenager, originally a happy child, who changed as he got older, becoming isolated and anxious. He found a website where he thought he could share his feelings and perhaps get some help. What he got was grooming, and eventually information on exactly how he could obtain the items he needed to kill himself.
A police investigation ascertained that the site was hosted outside the UK, which limits what can be done. In theory the site is moderated and does not allow children to join it, but in practice if they did anything it was only after a member reported that something was wrong.
This boy came from a loving family and has left his parents and sisters devastated. They want an international police enquiry that will lead to such sites being closed down.
So what is being done?
The UK Government has not been sitting idly by. Clive has written about the Online Safety Bill, which has taken a long time to go through Parliament (links to his and other’s relevant articles are below). At the end of the documentary I watched, there was this statement:
So that’s OK then.
Or is it? Who will make platforms remove the content? How can they even begin to find it all? I suspect that as usual it will be the public doing the policing and the police handing over a crime number then maybe doing something about it or maybe not.
Is there anything you can do?
In the meantime, please keep an eye on your children, especially teenagers who have been so badly affected by the pandemic. It is easy to think our children are OK when they are in their rooms quietly communing with their computers or smartphones, because that’s what teenagers do these days. It is also difficult for parents to know what content their children are accessing without violating their privacy, but there are some things that can be done.
Here is a link to some resources, provided by the UK Safer Internet Centre:
This is primarily aimed at protecting young people and addresses a different theme each year, but resources are retained from prior years. If you have any contact with young people and/or vulnerable people of any age, please have a look.
Sorry this is rather sombre, but you do need to know all you can to protect yourself and others online! Talk to us if you need any help with this.
Diana Catton – by-line and other articles
More reading:
The UK’s Online Safety Bill is now Law | Smart Thinking Solutions
Just as the Online Safety Bill becomes law – who is going to be safe? | Smart Thinking Solutions
The UK’s Online Safety Bill and Big Tech, you and me… | Smart Thinking Solutions
UK Online Safety Bill – Apple Objects | Smart Thinking Solutions
