Hertfordshire Constabulary is providing advice for parents and carers of young people who are spending more time online during periods of self-isolation. The closure of many schools due to the coronavirus means that opportunities for children to talk to and play with friends will be limited to online interaction. This will almost certainly lead to children spending more time online. Parents working from home may not be able to monitor their children’s use of internet enabled devices as they usually would.

Children motivated by boredom could start to engage with new groups or individuals and this in turn could make them vulnerable to those looking to groom young people.

Online grooming may be hard for parents to recognise and groomers may specifically warn children not to talk to anyone about it. There are a number of signs to be aware of (although a lot of them are quite common among teens), but look out for increased instances of:

• wanting to spend more and more time on the internet
• being secretive about who they are talking to online and what sites they visit
• switching screens when you come near the computer
• possessing items – electronic devices or phones – you haven’t given them
• using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know
• becoming emotionally volatile

Groomers often target young people by sending out friend requests on popular sites and platforms to see who responds. They may strike up a conversation to build a relationship with a child and ask them to continue the chat privately. Speak to your child about who they are talking to and ensure they genuinely know them. For more advice on how to keep safe online visit: www.herts.police.uk/Information-and-services/Advice/Child-sexual-exploitation and follow @hertspolicehalo for regular updates from our team that tackles child exploitation.

Screen Addiction Is Also Becoming A Problem…

https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/screen-usage-guide/ 

This guide offers:

• Informative insights into increased screen use during COVID-19 – with phone usage up by about 30% from pre-pandemic levels.
• Step-by-step advice on how to take control of your screen use by identifying triggers, scheduling screen time, and setting restrictions on your phone.
• Useful information on digital detoxers and dieters: 7 in 10 people have tried to moderate their digital consumption in some way, with 37% deleting an app and 27% turning off notifications.
• Quotes from experts appear throughout, along with useful links for further reading on the topic.