Duke’s guide to counter ‘banter escalation’

THE Duke of Cambridge will today launch a guide for children on how to cope with a “banter escalation scenario”, as part of a campaign to help combat cyberbullying.

The project, from the Royal Foundation’s Taskforce on Prevention of Cyberbullying, will see groups including broadband companies, Apple, Facebook, Google, Snapchat and Twitter work with the NSPCC and Diana Award to announce a code of conduct.

It asks young people to stop and consider what the situation is before joining in negative activity online, speak to an adult, a charity or report any abuse if they are concerned, and offer support to the individual being targeted.

In a video released yesterday, the Duke warned that anonymity online can be “really, really dangerous” and can lead to the “human tragedy” of intolerable cyberbullying.

A video, entitled What to do in a Banter Escalation Scenario, will be used to launch the advice, encouraging children to “stop, speak, support” when the “banter turns bad”.

The National Action Plan, launched by the Duke today, sees the UK become the “first country in the world to launch a national, youth-led, code of conduct for the internet”.