Cyber grooming is when someone (often an adult) befriends a child online and builds an emotional connection with future intentions of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or trafficking. The main goals of cyber grooming are: to gain trust from the child, to obtain intimate and personal data from the child (often sexual in nature—such as sexual conversations, pictures, or videos) in order to threaten and blackmail for further inappropriate material.

Perpetrators often take on fake identities of a child or teen and approach their victims in child-friendly websites, leaving children vulnerable and unaware of the fact that they have been approached for purposes of cyber grooming. This advisory from the National Cyber Security Centre is dedicated to help parents check their wards safety online when it comes to Cyber Grooming

Sharenting is the overuse of social media by parents to share content based on their children, such as baby pictures or details of their children's activities. Sharing could leave children exposed to Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA).

For example, a photo celebrating a child’s birthday reveals a date of birth; a reference to their first pet could be used as an answer to a bank security question; or the child’s favorite football team may also be a useful clue to a password. If this information is obtained by fraudsters it gives them a head-start to perpetrate their criminal acts. The NCSC therefore advise the public to follow the tips below to avoid giving out too much information when sharing information about their wards online.

Screen time can offer children opportunities to learn and develop new skills at a touch of a button but like anything, too much of it can have a negative effect on their well being

As children get older and more independent online, finding the right balance for your family can be challenging but the key is to think about it early on and set some clear boundaries around their online use.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is therefore providing practical steps to help parents guide their children on the amount of time they spend behind the screen accessing the internet.

Radicalization is a process by which individuals, often young people, move from supporting moderate mainstream views, to supporting extreme ideological views. This process can occur online through exposure to and engagement with violent ideological propaganda, or offline through extremist networks. Radicalization makes those at risk more likely to support terrorism and violent acts of extremism, and possibly even commit such criminal acts themselves .

Young people may be vulnerable to a range of risks as they pass through adolescence. They may be exposed to new influences and potentially risky behaviours, influence from peers, influence from older people or the internet as they may begin to explore ideas and issues around their identity.

There is no single driver of radicalisation, nor is there a single journey to becoming radicalised. The internet creates more opportunities to become radicalised, since it’s a worldwide daily medium that allows you to find and meet people who share and will reinforce your opinions. The National Cyber Security Centre urge all parent to follow the tips below to check radicalisation risk their wards may face on the internet

Children and young people have always had to deal with issues such as making friends, maintaining friendships, and dealing with first romantic relationships. However, the addition of Internet, technology and social media has transformed simple coming of age issues into overwhelming challenges as children and young people send and share images and messages of a sexual nature.

Sexting is the sending and receiving of sexually explicit messages, (words, photos, videos, images, etc.) usually via cellphone, tablets, laptops or any device that allows the sharing of media and messages

Young people may believe that sexting is a harmless activity or that it is no big deal because everyone is doing it, but the reality is grim: the taking, sharing or receiving images can affect a child’s self-esteem, cause emotional distress and be very upsetting.

Sexting is a challenge for parents and child protection experts because on one hand there is content that is created within the context of a relationship between consenting teenagers and on the other hand there is content featuring younger children. For either situation, once a child posts or sends an image of themselves, they lose control of it forever. The child may then be susceptible to blackmail, bullying, sexual coercion and extortion, grooming or other manipulation.

Social media allows people to create and share information, ideas, photos and other forms of expression, however social media and Internet technologies may also be used to sexually harass or blackmail others..

Sexting is the sending and receiving of sexually explicit messages, (words, photos, videos, images, etc.) usually via cellphone, tablets, laptops or any device that allows the sharing of media and messages

Non-consensual disclosure of sexual images, or informally “revenge porn,” defines self-generated images and materials (usually intimate or sexually explicit) that are shared within the context of a relationship. The images are then shared with others once the relationship has ended.