An online expert has claimed she has found that at least one child in every primary school class in Scotland has been targeted by an online predator.
Annabel Turner, a lawyer and director of Cybersafe Scotland, made the shocking revelation as police work to tighten the net on online sex predators following a rise in the number of reported cases.
With children as young as seven becoming active on social media, the project leader wants to see the information she has gathered rolled out across Scotland to protect more youngsters and educate them on the law.
Here, we have compiled a list of the top three tips to help parents to protect their children from online grooming:
● Be involved with what they are doing online
Game with them (and avoid wearing headphones when gaming at primary age).
Don’t let them post without your knowledge at primary age – help them create content and choose who to share it with at this stage.
● Be alert to social media risks
All the social media platforms are recommended for 13+ for a reason.
Hold off joining social media platforms until you are sure your child is ready to cope with the risks.
● Restrict the personal information they share online
Wearing school uniform in posts leaves youngsters more vulnerbale to cyber attacks. Online predators build false trust using information they see on profiles and use compliments to make the child feel secure.
Advice on reporting concerns can be found at www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
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