Keeping Young People Safe Online: Social Media & Messaging Apps

Social media has become a prominent form of both entertainment and communication for children and young people, but with this increased connectivity comes the risk of online danger. 

As a foster carer, it is likely that you are going to be tackling social media-related issues in your home at some point. There are many different social media channels, all with slightly different emphases, and whilst we all know that the internet can be a dangerous place for young people, social media channels can create further issues due to messaging capabilities, amongst other things.

Whilst there are multiple risks to young people, the most significant may be receiving messages from unknown individuals who could have malicious intent, including cyberbullying, grooming, or phishing scams.

It's crucial for responsible adults to ensure that children are educated about the potential risks and dangers of receiving messages through social media, and to have open conversations with them about how to stay safe while using these platforms. This combined with supervision, and positive behaviour modelling by adults and peers, can help to mitigate online risks.

Read more about it in our latest support booklet which contains advice about: Keeping Young People  Safe Online: Social Media & Messaging Apps

✅ What are the main social media & comms platforms and what are they used for?

✅ Which social media platforms pose the greatest threat to children?

✅ Children under the age of 13

✅ How to protect young people.

✅ Positive ways to use social media

✅ Are there any positives to social media?

✅ What are Influencers?

✅ Tips for identifying trustworthy influencers

✅ Negative Influencers

✅ The rise and fall of Andrew Tate

✅ Practical steps for dealing with content

✅ Teach Critical Thinking

✅ Statistics related to the dangers of social media.

✅ Cyber bullying, and how to deal with it

✅ Actively involved in cyber bullying?

✅ Body confidence

✅ Stranger danger

✅ Screen addiction

✅ Online grooming

✅ Inappropriate content

✅ Parental controls

✅ Resources