Project focuses on giving young people in Northern Ireland a voice and empowering them to influence child safety online
The NSPCC and Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) have launched a new youth-led project focused on giving children and young people a voice, audience and influence on child safety online issues.
The Amplifying Child Safety Online project is led by an advisory group of 12 young people aged 13 – 17 from across Northern Ireland who will engage youth clubs, centres and schools.
The group aims to amplify young people’s voices and help them shape the future of online safety in Northern Ireland by sharing their perspectives with key stakeholders, decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online.
Through regular meetings, workshops and events, the young people involved will have opportunities to discuss their experiences and provide insights into the key challenges of staying safe online.
It will explore what online safety currently looks like for children and young people in Northern Ireland, the effectiveness of controls and responses to harmful content/behaviour, as well as other concerns such as Artificial Intelligence, online advertising, privacy and education.
Dr Ernest Purvis, Head of Policy at CiNI and Project Lead, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the NSPCC on this crucial project, which will ensure that young people in Northern Ireland have a say when it comes to improving online safety and protecting children in the digital world.
“Young people are spending an increasing amount of time online. The evidence points to children becoming active online sooner and using apps from a very young age. This coincides with an increased prevalence of online harms, abuse, and negative impacts associated with excessive use of technology.
“We hope to prioritise the lived experiences and insights of young people, providing them with a platform to share their views and ideas for change, and campaign for better education, resources, awareness and response to online harms.
“The project is youth-led, ensuring that the young people involved are not just participants but take the lead in identifying topics, creating advocacy materials, and designing solutions.”
When asked why she got involved, Matylda, 15, said: “I wanted to try something new and get more experience. I want to make a difference and have an impact while building my confidence and working with other young people from all around the UK.”
Maria, 14, said: “My opinion on online safety is that it’s really safe, but it’s not good that really young children are using it.”
Jamie, 17, said: “There aren’t enough safety precautions set up for young people online. I was invited by my leader to get involved in a positive and relevant project, and I want to meet new people, boost my confidence, and have my voice heard.”
Iona, 13, said: “I think there’s too many dangers online.”
Phyllis Stephenson, Project Development Manager at the Child Safety Online Solutions Lab at NSPCC, said: “Children’s voices are often missing from conversations about child safety online and yet it is crucial that we hear from young people about their views of online safety.
“Young people bring unique perspectives, experiences and valuable insights which help us to understand the true impact of online harm and enables us to identify the support needed to keep them safe.
“By listening to young people and championing their voices, we can support decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online in Northern Ireland to keep young people at the heart of solutions to online harm.”
For further information about the CiNI/NSPCC NI Amplifying Child Safety Online project, email: ernest@ci-ni.org.uk
