Keeping kids safe online

Don’t risk leaving children vulnerable to online dangers with internet connected gifts

A recent YouGov study for Barnardo’s found that barely half of adults who were going to buy internet connected presents for children would check who the youngsters are communicating with online.

While more than 80% of those who had planned to buy an internet connected gift for a child said they were aware that strangers could contact and connect with the child through them, just 55% said they would monitor who the youngsters were talking to. And only six in ten adults who bought these gifts for children said they would activate the maximum privacy settings designed to help keep children safe when they are online.

The results make clear a gulf between the public’s appreciation of the potential risks posed to children by the internet and the action they should take to reduce them. Barnardo’s has long been calling to make the internet safer and for parents to be more aware of mobile technology children are using and who they’re talking to online. Our concern is that the digital revolution is enabling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people via the internet and mobile devices.

We are not saying ‘don’t allow your children to enjoy these toys or devices’, but we are urging parents and relatives to ensure their children are as safe as possible by ensuring privacy settings are at maximum and that they monitor who their child is communicating with. Barnardo’s Steve Oversby