- Many online services (such as games and social media) have settings that can be used to manage contact from other users. These include privacy settings, block/mute settings and reporting tools.
- Reporting tools can be used to make a service aware of users who are behaving inappropriately. This includes any contact from a user to your child that makes them feel uncomfortable or worried, or worries you as a parent/carer.
- Depending on the nature of the contact, an online service may remove something the user has uploaded, temporarily suspend their account, or permanently bar them from using the service.
Advice:
- If you are concerned about online contact between someone and your child, always report it to the online service on which the contact took place.
- If you feel that the law has been broken by someone online through their communication with your child, then you should contact local law enforcement for further help and support.
- If you are worried about the nature of your child’s contact with others online, then you may be able to seek advice and support from your child’s school or from local or national organisations and helplines in your country.