A campaign to raise awareness of the dangers to children online is being launched this week by NSPCC to coincide with half-term.
As schools break up for the holidays children in the borough will begin spending more time socialising and gaming online.
It’s during this time that NSPCC say local children are at a greater risk from cyberbullying or accessing inappropriate content.
As part of a joint initiative between the charity and O2, parents can get online safety advice at the O2 shops in the city centre on Clumber Street and Listergate from specially trained advisors known as O2 Gurus.
During the pre-booked sessions the NSPCC trained O2 Guru, can explain how to set up parental controls on phones, tablets and PCs as well as how to make devices safer for a child to use.
Jane Houghton, Head of O2 & NSPCC Online Safety Helpline at O2 said: “Parental controls may sound dull, but it is one of the simplest things you can do to ensure your child is accessing appropriate content only.
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“One of our helpline advisors spoke to a Mum about her 9-year-old daughter making inappropriate searches on Google after someone in school told her to. Our advisor was able to help her set up the appropriate controls and settings on all devices in the home. If it feels daunting, our expert advisors are here to help on the phone, through webchat and in our O2 stores.”
Julia Fossi, Head of Child Online Safety, added: “Keeping children safe online is the biggest child protection challenge of this generation.
“Technology is changing all the time and it can be hard to keep up to date with the latest games, sites and apps but it’s important to take on the challenge and treat it like any other parenting task.
“Thanks to the NSPCC and O2 partnership help is at hand but talking to your child regularly and being part of their online world is the best way to help keep them safe.”
Appointments for the O2 Guru sessions can be booked in advance by visiting online at http://guru.force.com/O2DeskStoreLocator and selecting the appointment type, ‘I’d like to keep my children safe online’.
Parents can get online safety advice from the NSPCC’s website or call the free helpline on 0808 800 5002. Children and young people can contact Childline anytime on 0800 1111 or access help online at www.childline.org.uk
