We would like to take the opportunity to remind parents about some online dangers faced by our young people.  Apps and websites can be a great tool for youngsters to find out about the world, but some areas of the internet are not always safe for children.  Our children are sometimes called “Digital Natives” – they are growing up in a world surrounded by social media, they seem very comfortable when adults are sometimes much more nervous of the technology.  Children are naive, they are still learning about the world and sometimes they can be taken advantage of by predatory adults.

Durham Police have once again been involved in an investigation where school children may have potentially been exploited so, to try and prevent any re-occurrence, we would like to suggest the following:

• parents and carers should discuss with their children their use of technology, and take the time to find out more about their children’s online life; parents should know who their children’s online friends are and what apps they are using
• it is also worth setting parental controls, both on devices and on the home and mobile internet feeds – this is not a foolproof solution, but it does reduce the chances of children either coming into contact with inappropriate material or individuals.