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Duke of Cambridge Launches National Action Plan to Tackle Cyberbullying

The Royal Foundation brought together the UKs largest media and technology firms to deliver first ever internet code of conduct – 'Stop, Speak, Support'.

The Duke's national campaign seeks to reach every 11-16 year old in Britain, to empower them to stop cyberbullying, to speak out and seek support.

The Taskforce has prompted unprecedented action from some of the most popular social media and gaming companies to commit to further action to support and protect young people online.

Today, Thursday, The Duke of Cambridge will unveil an Action Plan created by The Royal Foundation's Taskforce on the Prevention of Cyberbullying, and launch an online code of conduct called 'Stop, Speak, Support'. These initiatives will put the UK on the path to become the global leader in supporting young people online.

His Royal Highness brought together some of the world's most recognisable names in media and tech, as well as children's charities and parents, to work alongside a panel of young people to find ways to tackle cyberbullying. Together they set themselves the task of creating a safer and more supportive life online.

The internet has opened our world to exciting opportunities, giving young people a view of the world their parents could only dream of. But with it has come a new ferocity to bullying that can follow a child wherever they go. Cyberbullying is a serious threat to happy, healthy childhoods and in the most serious cases can ruin lives.

After more than 18 months of work, the Taskforce has created an Action Plan which is designed to kick-start a new approach to support young people when they are using social media and gaming platforms. Chaired by tech entrepreneur Brent Hoberman CBE, the Taskforce members include: The Anti-Bullying Alliance; Apple; BT; The Diana Award; EE; Facebook; Google; Internet Matters; NSPCC; O2; Sky; Snapchat; Supercell; TalkTalk; Twitter; Vodafone and Virgin Media.

The Action Plan includes:

The UK will today become the first country in the world to launch a national, youth-led, code of conduct for the internet - 'Stop, Speak, Support'.

For the first time ever the world's biggest social media firms are adapting their platforms to provide direct access to support when bullying strikes. Facebook and Snapchat have worked with the NSPCC to create new functions that will be trialled among groups of young people. If successful, The Duke hopes it can become a global blueprint.

A major new commitment to design 'Safety Guidelines' has been agreed by the social media and gaming firms in the Taskforce, as well as creating a new compliance process, with the sole drive to commit all platforms to keeping children and young people safe.

Taskforce members are building a universal strategy for information, ensuring all online resources for support and help – whether aimed at young people or parents – are high quality, reliable and have common themes.

Brent Hoberman, Taskforce Chair, said: "Under The Royal Foundation the industry has come together for the first time to design a comprehensive Action Plan to address the important issue of cyberbullying.

"This Action Plan is the first step in positioning the UK as a global leader in this area and we are looking forward to the industry building upon this vital work.

"Working together, we are now much closer to our ambition of making life online safer for young adults."

Baroness Dido Harding, former CEO of Talk Talk and independent advisor to the Taskforce said: “The Taskforce has simultaneously demonstrated how powerful it can be when the whole tech industry works together but also how hard it is to deliver real change.

"The emotional support pilot and national campaign are significant steps forward but we are a long way from delivering what children themselves are asking for so that the design and functionality of social media platforms meets their safety needs. Whilst celebrating the steps forward, we should see this as a step in the right direction rather than the end of the journey”

Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive and Taskforce Charity Partner, said: “We know it can be very difficult for young people being bullied online or in person to tell someone what’s happening to them. Many are simply too scared to speak out or they believe somehow that it’s their fault.

“By helping to create the ‘Stop, Speak, Support’ campaign with the Royal Taskforce and our young volunteers - some who have experienced cyberbullying themselves - we are empowering young people to support their friends who are being bullied online.

“‘Stop, Speak, Support’ provides simple steps for children and teenagers who witness cyberbullying to follow, with an emphasis on encouraging their peers to speak out and seek help from either a trusted adult or Childline, because bullying doesn’t go away on its own.”

Stop, Speak, Support – The Code of Conduct Campaign

The Duke of Cambridge believes that our largest social media, technology, gaming, communication service providers and media companies have a positive opportunity to create the solution to support our children online, and to help children feel empowered to question online behaviour, speak out and support their friends.

All young people should feel able to look out for their friends, to stop the bullies, to speak out and to get support. The young people on the Taskforce said they had rules and guides for every part of their life – but not online. This is the 'green cross code' for the web.

The Stop, Speak Support code includes:

STOP

Action 1: Take time out before getting involved, and don’t share or like negative comments.

Action 2: Try and get an overview of what’s really going on.

Action 3: Check the community guidelines for the site you’re on.

SPEAK

Action 1: Ask an adult or friend that you can trust for advice.

Action 2: Use the report button for the social media it’s happening on.

Action 3: Speak to one of the charities set up to help with situations like this, such as Childline.

SUPPORT

Action 1: Give the person being bullied a supportive message to let them know they’re not alone.

Action 2: Encourage the person being bullied to talk to someone they can trust.

Action 3: Give the person being bullied a positive distraction from the situation.

The promotional campaign to highlight the code will run for three months until 'Safer Internet Day', and seeks to reach every single 11-16 year old in this country. The aim is to empower all young people to take a stand against bullying.

For more information visit www.stopspeaksupport.com

What makes young people turn to extremism?

As 2017 comes towards its closure, it’s only natural to look back on the year’s events. Whilst we should count our blessings on some fronts, it’s with a feeling of incredible sadness that we remember those who have lost their lives due to acts of terrorism.

In May, when the news hit that the Manchester Arena had been targeted, the British public drew a sharp intake of breath. Previous terrorist attacks had been centred on London, the country’s capital and an obvious target. Now we were seeing terrorism occur outside the boundaries of what we’d become used to, not just geographically but demographically too. Ariana Grande had been a child star, greatly admired by the young people who had come in their thousands to see her live performance. The attack on the arena had been premeditated with this in mind. Out of the 22 people killed, six were under 18 and there were 170 children in the foyer who witnessed the attack.

Are we looking for somebody to blame?
When considering those who commit these dreadful crimes, our natural reaction turns to anger. We search for an explanation, some cause that drives these people to act with such evil, often laying the blame at the door of religion or brainwashing or an egocentric desire for fame or martyrdom. What we find most confusing is that the people committing these acts of violence - not just in the UK, but across Europe - are not citizens of another country, but people born and raised in the very countries they choose to attack.

In the TED Talk ‘What we don’t know about Europe’s Muslim kids and why we should care,’ Deeyah Khan talks in detail about her experience as a Muslim growing up in Norway, where, as a young female musician she struggled to be accepted by both her own community and the predominantly white non-Muslim society in which she was born. After being continually harassed and threatened, at the age of 17 she fled to London, but was quickly met with the same prejudices. Describing herself as feeling lost and falling apart, she eventually moved to the US, giving up her music career because of fear. In doing so, she made a pledge: to help other young people in Europe who feel trapped in a position between family and culture.

The gap between country and culture
As a film director, Deeyah Khan now uses her experience to generate awareness of the clash of cultures between Muslim parents who prioritise honour over their children's desire for freedom. She argues that we need to understand what is happening to fight the pull of extremism. Over the last few years she has spent her time interviewing convicted terrorists, Jihadis and former extremists to find out how and why they fell victim to extremist organisations and ideologies. In her own words, she describes meeting: “Not monsters, but broken people. People who were torn apart from trying to bridge the gaps between their families and the countries they were born in. People looking for a sense of significance, belonging and purpose.” She found that people were lured by extremist groups because their leaders promised them the things they needed: a voice, visibility, importance and a community that loves and accepts them. Sadly, many of these groups have their own agenda: to channel people’s vulnerabilities and frustrations towards violence.

How technology has enabled extremism
Former Islamist extremist, Maajid Nawaz, now a British activist and prominent critic of Islamism, cites similar reasons for being drawn into extremism. Born in Essex, he recalls the feeling of being divided between his Pakistani and British identities as an important factor in his struggle to find his own identity. In his TED Talk, he discusses his own journey into extremism at the age of 16 and now, how borderless technologies and digital activism have enabled extremist organisations to propagate their messages across the world, capitalising on communication channels that didn’t exist 20 years ago. Whilst the Internet has brought us freedom to harvest information, we also know that it’s the perfect tool to reach and influence young people sitting at home in their bedrooms. Exchanges take place under the radar and can go undetected. In becoming part of an online extremist group, young people feel they’ve become part of something in which they feel exclusive and privileged, and often feel more valued than they would in wider society.

What can we do as educators?
Those of us in the teaching profession will be familiar with the Prevent Duty, part of the overall counter-terrorism strategy which aims to reduce the terrorist threat to the UK by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. One of the key strategy objectives is to respond to the ideologies spread by extremists that it is not possible to be both Muslim and British, and that Muslims living in the UK should not participate in our democracy.

The Internet is one of key channels that extremist groups exploit to spread their messages. By publishing fake news and propaganda, they aim to influence and manipulate young people’s perceptions of themselves and the world, ultimately impregnating their theories behind the justification for extremism and terrorist behaviour.

As teaching professionals, we can help prevent extremism through education, but also through the exchange of dialogue. PSHE lessons provide the perfect opportunity to do this. Young people should be encouraged to talk about how they use the Internet and how they evaluate and interpret the content they see. Conversations should include the understanding of how Internet content is produced, what people’s motivations are for producing particular content, and how students can make a valid judgement between what is, and what isn’t a credible source of information. These lessons can also prove invaluable for sharing experiences of content seen online that students may have felt upset by, or content they don’t understand and would like to discuss. It may also open the door for those being contacted by extremists, or who have researched extremism to seek help if they are feeling isolated.

Get up to speed on radicalisation awareness

If you’re in need of additional support on the subject of anti-radicalisation, the topical resources from E-safety Support have been designed to help all members of the school community (pupils, parents and staff) understand more about the issue of radicalisation and in particular the part the Internet plays in encouraging people to consider extremist views.

Resources available include classroom materials, a parent guide, a school checklist, school policy and CPD accredited staff training

Premium Plus members can access all the resources from their E-safety Support dashboard.
Free members can download the anti-radicalisation checklist and also preview the online training.

Let’s celebrate uniqueness in November’s Anti-Bullying Week.

In the school environment, where peer pressure and the desire to be popular still holds fast, education remains as important as ever in developing young people’s social and emotional awareness. This year’s Anti-Bullying Week, which takes place from 13-17 November looks at a very current and poignant topic; diversity. Following the theme ‘All Different, All Equal,’ the week will focus on why our individual human traits should be recognised as a valuable part of who we are.

The week of activities is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which was founded in 2002 by the NSPCC and the National Children’s Bureau. Over the years, the organisation has been bolstered by the support of a number of core and associate members who work collaboratively to raise awareness about the impact of bullying. Their aim is to create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn.

2017 Theme
This year, the 'All Different, All Equal' theme looks at:

• How to empower children and young people to celebrate what makes them, and others, unique
  
• Helping children and young people understand how important it is that every child feels valued and included in school and able to be themselves without fear of bullying
  
• Encouraging parents and carers to work with their school and talk to their children about bullying, difference and equality
  
• Enabling teachers and other children’s workforce professionals to celebrate what makes us ‘all different, all equal’ and celebrate difference and equality, encouraging them to take individual and collective action to prevent bullying and create safe environments where children can be themselves.

How to Get Involved
The Anti-Bullying Alliance have a number of suggested ways in which you can get involved, including:

• Official Merchandise: Schools can purchase official Anti-Bullying Week 2017 merchandise via their online shop. Proceeds go to funding Anti-Bullying Week next year.
  
• Odd Socks Day: This is an opportunity for children to express themselves and appreciate individuality. But most importantly, Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun!
  
• Become a Supported: Sign up as an Anti-Bullying Week supporter and receive a certificate to display in your school/organisation. Join the anti-bullying movement and let people know what you're doing for #antibullyingweek.
  
• Get Involved Online: Download the pack to find template tweets, facebooks, selfie ideas and many many more things you can do to get involved in Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day for Anti-Bullying Week. You can also register for the Thunderclap

Full details can be found at www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk.

Download your cyber bullying assembly
E-safety Support members can download a selection of topical resources including a cyber bullying assembly for either KS1/2 or KS3/4 – log into your member dashboard to download or register for FREE membership for access.