In the News

An estimated 200,000 children in England living with alcohol-dependent parents are to be given faster access to mental health services and support for their families under government plans.

In a letter to companies including Facebook and Google, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt accuses them of "turning a blind eye" to their impact on children.

Organised by the UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day reached more people across the UK than ever before, inspiring many conversations and actions in schools, homes and workplaces.

Being bullied is associated with self-harm and suicidal behaviours, as well as mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. But what about cyberbullying? The stakes are high with greater exposure to peers and it can be persistent, so it’s possible the impact could be more serious, too?

Figures released today (April 18, 2018) the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the charity that searches for and removes online child sexual abuse imagery, a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre, show that more of this disturbing material is being found than ever before.

There were more than 5,000 new cases of female genital mutilation in the UK last year, according to latest figures.

The Government has pledged nearly £2.6 million to help tackle child sexual exploitation across the globe.

Three quarters (79%) of parents of teenagers believe children should be at least 14-years-old before they make independent decisions about the websites they use and can consent to the use of their personal data by online services, according to a new study from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

A new law came in to place to help protect children last year

The rise of social media has meant that we as a global population are more connected than we have ever been in the history of time. However, our reliance on social media can have a detrimental effect on our mental health, with the average Brit checking their phone as much 28 times a day.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Screening for mental health conditions could help normalise conversations about depression, but must be accompanied by easy access to support services.

AN NSPCC investigation reveals that Facebook and the apps it owns were used in over half of online grooming cases after the introduction of a new offence, with Dyfed-Powys Police recording 19 cases in six months.

Parents and carers in Jersey are being encouraged to speak with children about how to protect themselves from sexual abuse. Jersey Safeguarding Partnership Board have teamed up with the NSPCC to launch a new campaign on the issue and set up a helpline.

Games is one of the biggest entertainment industries - in 2017 UK consumers spent £3.5bn on boxed, downloadable and mobile games, significantly more than music and DVDs.

An inquiry has been launched into a Coventry school run by a charity for the blind after it "consistently failed to comply with regulations designed to safeguard and protect vulnerable children".

The Department for Education (DfE) has dropped the controversial categories from the school census just two years after the policy was introduced.

Prevent coordinator says students should be given a 'safe environment' to have debates on difficult, nuanced topics

For many people with children, disciplinary tactics have acquired a new lease for life, with parents posting videos punishing their children online. They expose their children to the amusement of their friends, or if they go viral, to hundreds of thousands of strangers online.

Our lack of understanding about the behaviour of adults who abuse minors via the internet means that the laws protecting children exploited purely online is lagging behind those who are abused offline.

Parents have been urged to check their children's phones after police compiled a list of 10 potentially dangerous apps.