Horrifying number of children afraid of being cyber-bullied by internet trolls

More than a quarter of children are worried about cyber-bullying when they go online.

Almost nine in 10 young people believe that talking to their parents would help them stay safe online.

But mums and dads reported only 35% had done so in the past 12 months, NSPCC and O2 research found.

Ministers are expected to publish the online harms bill on Safer Internet Day on Tuesday.

The survey of more than 8,000 young people and their parents conducted on behalf of O2 and NSPCC, found that 27% said bullying or someone being unkind to them was what worried them the most when using the internet.

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It also revealed being contacted by someone they don’t know was the second biggest online concern, for 16% of respondents.

The survey found that 92% of parents felt they knew how to advise their child how to stay safe online, but less than half (42%) had agreed guidelines on what they do when using the internet.

Social media bosses will face personal prosecution if they breach their duty of care.

To mark Safer Internet Day, O2 and the NSPCC have created a new online family agreement for parents and children to fill-in and sign together to help encourage more regular conversations about internet safety.

The agreement provides families with the opportunity to make a joint pledge on things both parents and children will do when online.

O2 and the NSPCC also offer free online resources in the form of Net Aware, a website which explains the social networks, apps or games that children are using most frequently.

Laura Randall, Associate Head of Child Safety Online and Innovation at the NSPCC, said: “Children and young people are becoming increasingly aware of the risks they face when going online and the vital role their parents or carers can play in ensuring they stay safe.

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“As a result, parents and carers need to take the initiative and set up regular conversations with their child about their online life, with our family agreement being a great way to kick things off.

“To ensure they are as well informed as possible parents and carers can also access free tools like Net Aware, where they can learn about the latest games, apps and social networks their children are using.”

Nicola Green, Corporate Affairs Director at O2 said: “The digital world is an amazing place but it’s important that as parents we have regular conversations with our children so they’re aware how to safely navigate any potential dangers online.

“As a mum, I know it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, which is why for Safer Internet Day this year we’ve created a family agreement, available in-store and to download online for free, as a handy tool for parents to explore what their children like doing online and agree to set some guidelines.”

As well as the family agreement, the partnership have developed a booklet offering the latest practical and simple tips on the risks children might face when using the internet, and advice about what parents can do to keep their child safe. The booklet is now available in more than 450 O2 stores nationwide.

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