EDUCATION, thoroughly researched by those such as ourselves, is essential. We focus on critical thinking and students changing their online and offline behaviours. The issue, for now, is that the online harm bill has been delayed, but what are we all doing about it?
At this juncture, I am not trying to sensationalise what is reality. There is a desperate need for all schools, students, staff, parents and carers to understand this is not a game. The harm and impact are horrific, and IT'S A "PERFECT STORM."
Training and Development
ONLINE GROOMING
Offenders use any technique they can invent. Children are their business! The depths they go to disguise themselves is extraordinary, including:
Voice distorter
Acting, moving and speaking as the intended target age group. Understanding what is on trend to attract that age group
They can be found anywhere:
Voice chat
YouTube and live streaming On multi-player games. Using false profiles
. Social networking
Offering in-game currency
Offering games and equipment
Requests to meet up and/or for images
MOLLY'S STORY
The recent inquest into the tragic death of fourteen-year-old Molly Russell should focus our minds - it could be our child tomorrow or even today!
Algorithms play a huge part in youngsters being trapped down a "rabbit hole". The more you click or show interest in something, the more algorithms automatically respond and can bombard our devices without us seeking out more information.
Six months before her death, Molly had 3,500 shares, 1,000 likes and 5,000 saves, engaging 130 daily on Instagram posts. On Twitter, she tweeted and retweeted 460 times, liked 4,100 times, followed 116 accounts and had 42 followers. On Pinterest, she had at least 15,000 engagements and 3,000 saves.
She was sent over 2000 videos of suicide. Algorithms would have primarily generated this.
They are overwhelmed with collecting the vast volumes of CSAM. They must process and grade them on the Copine Scale. They are torn between dealing with the massive numbers OR investigating the complex criminality involved. There are also genuine and understandable concerns about the mental health of officers, who sit looking at the most depraved material out on even babies for hours. They require more resources, staff and more sophisticated technology.
There are many more issues and recommendations, but the task is monumental. In October 2020, the IWF asked 79 organisations to track access requests for CSA images over 31 days. The size of the problem is colossal: three companies returned their findings, which came to 8.8 million attempts.
IN JULY 2022
The IWF discovered an increase of 374% in self-generated images. These are from this generation of youngsters: sexting, which is illegal UNDER THE AGE OF 18 years, and live streaming to strangers on their webcams in their bedrooms or bathrooms.
The offenders' preferred platform is live streaming, as they can't be traced. The recording is then sold on the Dark Web to like-minded others in various forums according to their taste. The Dark Web is heavily encrypted, and police find it difficult to track and trace.
GAMES AND APPS
Snapchat- ensure your child has the "ghost mode" switched on ALL the time. Otherwise, they can be geo-located and pinpointed to exactly where they are.
Tik Tok - several current trends and challenges encourage young people to get involved:
Drugs in sweets - putting cannabis and heroin in sweets with packaging looking no different to sweets on supermarket shelves.
Blackout challenge - seeing how long you can keep breathing with a ligature around your neck. The mother, Archie Battersbee, thinks that he was doing this before requiring life support, and I have since been told of four other youngsters in the last few weeks who have also unfortunately gone the same way, but their stories didn't make the media.
Eye colour challenge -putting bleach or dishwasher liquid in plastic bags to see if it changes your eye colour. It doesn't work - it burns and can cause blindness.
Laughing gas (nitrous oxide) - is being sold on this platform and is available 24/7. For a 20-second high at less than £5, it is causing paralysis by damaging nerves in the spine and, in some cases, death.
Instagram - The Royal Society of Psychiatry said that they are deeply concerned about the impact of kids promoting eating disorders. This platform is also used a lot for cyberbullying.
PORNOGRAPHY
The issue of pornography is now proven to be driving harmful sexual behaviours. Children as young as seven are viewing it, often encouraged by older siblings.
What are they viewing exactly? Some content is brutally violent and humiliating, with videos showing strangulation, gagging, spitting, spanking, vile humiliating abusive language, anal, oral and vaginal rape, and ejaculation over the face.
Training and Development
An introduction to pornography is often positioned as: "Are you man enough to watch this?"
"Watch what women want."
It's easy to understand why children are traumatised by this content, as well as the link to mental health issues - and it is far too easy to access.
Excessive viewing can cause permanent damage to the developing brain. We know that the brain is not fully developed until 25 years of age. Even viewing 3 hours a week will cause harm in parts of the brain. However, excessive viewing is proven to:
Build a permanent negative sexual script
Cause harmful sexual behaviours
Create dissatisfied sexual intimacy
Cause erectile dysfunction (due to the burnout of "dopamine "receptors", our pleasure drug)
Reduce grey matter in the brain
(this means the size of the brain becomes smaller).
Behavioural signs that things may not be right This is not a definitive list, just some signs to notice: different friend groups, anxiety, depression, spending a long time in their bedrooms, eating alone, non-communicative, little interest in their previous hobbies, eating style changes, keeping their devices out of your sight, being angry, distant, secretive, and withdrawn.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Keep communicating - don't be put off or frightened of your child's wrath! Explain why you are concerned. Not everything comes down to puberty - these responses need checking out.
There is NO magic wand. It isn't rocket science. Everyone needs to ramp up their awareness and monitor what is occurring on devices. Kids will always find a way around things, but it is our responsibility to ensure we help them develop real knowledge to protect themselves, as they are in the front line of attack.
Remove devices from private areas, download parental control apps such as SAFE FAMILIES, and set filters, times, and controls. This is FREE on Google. Keep webcams covered. TALK openly about reality - not doing so leaves youngsters more vulnerable.
The impact and neuroscience of viewing porn is available on YouTube: I recommend you watch the video "Raised on Porn" which was released on Oct 2021.
Parents and carers should ATTEND all training offered by schools in this regard AND all online issues.
It is essential that children fully understand how grooming works online and how offenders disguise their appearance and voice through a distorter.
DSLS and PSHE staff do not always have up-to-date, fresh information, nor can they deliver the training in a way that enables students to think critically. Youngsters love real stories and case studies to make it believable and ensure that messages hit home so they can better understand. Staff usually do not have these at their fingertips.
I have been to so many schools and watched students glaze over unless someone new and vibrant is in front of them. They sense a fraud a mile off and they KNOW those who are afraid of taking them over the line.
We receive daily updates, and the landscape is changing phenomenally. It doesn't stay still for long! If you are concerned that your child has been harmed by im- ages online and need support, please access this charity: www.mariecollinsfoundation.org.uk
If you are interested in booking a course as parents and carers, please let me know, and I can set it up on Zoom. We also have comprehensive handouts with much more information; please email me.
NEVER BE COMPLACENT.
[email protected]
Mobile 07484 541727
www.freedom-abuse.org
Many quotes are from NCA National Crime Agency, NSPCC and the Police Foundation.
