- While not always upsetting or illegal, there is content online that may promote beliefs that could lead to hurt or harm, either for a child or for other groups or individuals.
- Examples of content promoting hurtful/harmful beliefs include hate speech, discrimination and extreme views/ideologies. These may be expressed as opinions on a social network, as information or ‘fact’ or in other ways that may disguise its true nature. Although this content may not be directly hurtful or harmful to a child encountering it, it may have the potential to influence their beliefs over time, which could lead to hurtful or harmful treatment of others.
- There is also content present online that encourages people to engage in hurtful or harmful behaviour, often towards themselves but also towards others.
- Examples of content promoting hurtful/harmful behaviour include content that promotes self-harm in any form (such as pro-anorexia, pro-cutting or pro-suicide) and content that promotes committing acts of harm against an individual or group, including terrorism content. Health and well-being is one area where harmful behaviours may be promoted through unhealthy dieting practices, challenges, exercise regimes or promotion of the use of medication or other substances.
- It can be difficult for anyone online, child or adult, to recognise when content may be seeking to promote hurtful or harmful belief and behaviours. Content of this kind may be presented as fact when it is purely opinion or even untrue. False or misleading information may be combined with accurate information to make it sound more plausible. If the source of the information is someone a child admires or trusts, this makes it more likely that they might believe or act on the information. More information on this can be found in ‘Misinformation, fake news and deep fakes’.
Advice:
- It is important to discuss with your child the trustworthiness of what they see or hear online, particularly if it is encouraging or persuading them to adopt a belief/view or to take action.
- Remind your child that content that encourages hate or discrimination, or harm towards themselves or others is not acceptable and should not be considered as good advice.
- Children sometimes stumble across hurtful or harmful content online because they have questions about themselves, the world or other people. Providing opportunities for open and honest discussion with your child and making it clear that you can answer any questions they have can encourage them to seek answers from more trusted sources rather than online. Remind your child that the best advice for their health or well-being will always be from a doctor or medical professional.
- You may wish to consider filtering or monitoring software to restrict what your child can access online or help you know if they are searching for information on topics where they may encounter hurtful or harmful content. If you choose to use such solutions, you should always explain to your child that you are using them, and their purpose.
- If you are concerned that your child has been affected by content online that has negatively influenced their beliefs or behaviour then it is important to seek further help – this could be from your child’s school, their doctor or from other professionals.